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I hate the heat! It literally sucks the life out of you! I get way more done outside in the winter then I do the summer! High of 9 today had 8 inches on Sat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor'Eastah
Count me as another who wilts in the heat! This is my favorite time of the year!
I prefer the colder temps as well. For the last week or so, our highs have been about +8, lows around -5 so just perfect for working in the shop.
Got to stay out of the wind here though, wind chill of -35 is a little chilly for laying under a truck and changing the oil
There is this idea afoot, that stockpiling food and guns is what everyone should do, if they wish to survive a long-term crisis. While it would be better for this country if more people did that, there are four groups of people who might be less likely to survive, no matter what they stockpile:
1) The Disabled, to include the obese, the insulin-dependent diabetics, the oxygen-dependent, those who need dialysis, those with respiratory issues like COPD or heart ailments, frail elderly, and the mobiliity impaired. Why: To survive, you must be able to move. People should be able to walk at least an hour, if transportation or gasoline availability is compromised.
2) The Government-Dependent, including welfare recipients, SSDI recipients, the poor, some minorities, alcoholics, drug addicts, those dependent upon prescription pain-killers or opiates. Why: Such people have a dependency mindset, are not independent of their addictions, or are so poor that they have very few options in life. Anyone who riots or loots will likely be taken out.
3) Anti-Gunners, Peace Types, Tree-Huggers. Such people live in a fantasy bubble. Usually urban liberals and women, they are typically in debt, addicted to trendy fashions, totally in denial that the world as they know it could ever change, are very PC, metrosexual, and antithetical to self-sufficiency. Why: They will just freak out (as many of them did when Trump was unexpectedly elected). They are emotionally immature, unprepared, spoiled, and unable to deal with adverse events that upend their lives.
4) Children, especially undisciplined children, whose parents try to be "friends" with them, allow them to run around and scream, spoil them, and never insist that they obey parental directives. Why: An undisciplined child, never taught to obey or follow instructions, may find that it costs them their lives. It's something like an untrained dog who runs into the street and gets killed. Children do not understand life-changing events at first,and should depend upon their parents for their safety.
Can you think of any more vulnerable groups of people?
Being a survivalist in the U.S. is akin to a prep-school in the real world. We’ll talk after you survived Aleppo for two or three years.
There is this idea afoot, that stockpiling food and guns is what everyone should do, if they wish to survive a long-term crisis. While it would be better for this country if more people did that, there are four groups of people who might be less likely to survive, no matter what they stockpile:
1) The Disabled, to include the obese, the insulin-dependent diabetics, the oxygen-dependent, those who need dialysis, those with respiratory issues like COPD or heart ailments, frail elderly, and the mobiliity impaired. Why: To survive, you must be able to move. People should be able to walk at least an hour, if transportation or gasoline availability is compromised.
2) The Government-Dependent, including welfare recipients, SSDI recipients, the poor, some minorities, alcoholics, drug addicts, those dependent upon prescription pain-killers or opiates. Why: Such people have a dependency mindset, are not independent of their addictions, or are so poor that they have very few options in life. Anyone who riots or loots will likely be taken out.
3) Anti-Gunners, Peace Types, Tree-Huggers. Such people live in a fantasy bubble. Usually urban liberals and women, they are typically in debt, addicted to trendy fashions, totally in denial that the world as they know it could ever change, are very PC, metrosexual, and antithetical to self-sufficiency. Why: They will just freak out (as many of them did when Trump was unexpectedly elected). They are emotionally immature, unprepared, spoiled, and unable to deal with adverse events that upend their lives.
4) Children, especially undisciplined children, whose parents try to be "friends" with them, allow them to run around and scream, spoil them, and never insist that they obey parental directives. Why: An undisciplined child, never taught to obey or follow instructions, may find that it costs them their lives. It's something like an untrained dog who runs into the street and gets killed. Children do not understand life-changing events at first,and should depend upon their parents for their safety.
Can you think of any more vulnerable groups of people?
You underestimate people's ability to modify their behavior when necessary. #1 is the only one I agree with. The others don't make any sense, it would be fairer to list people with type O blood!
You underestimate people's ability to modify their behavior when necessary. #1 is the only one I agree with. The others don't make any sense, it would be fairer to list people with type O blood!
I think you underestimate the reality that if they haven't already modified their behavior and thinking then the chances of them being able to fully adjust after the fact then you're the one mistaken. There is A LOT more than just adjusting one behavior; there is planning, prepping, psychological preparation, and finally living what you preach. Those late to such a SHTF party already have such a disadvantage of no food and water that its almost impossible to overcome.
I think it is good to review the most vulnerable in a shtf scenario. People caring for an elderly or with children are wise to review the possible implications. I'd like to hear more about this. By the same token, it does appear there is some kind of philosophical agenda being presented. Whether someone is conservative or liberal isn't going to be the deciding factor.
As far as guns go, we might review that the stopping power of a .9mm auto is something like 300 pounds per square inch, muzzle velocity about 1200 ft/sec. Move up into the .30 calibers, long rifle, and that MV jumps to 2900 and the impact 3,000 lbs/in2. That's ten times and we haven't even factored in effective range. Shotgun Joe is basically setting people up to be at the mercy of professionals, like himself.
As far as the Never Trump go, they have already been armed in the urban areas. The rest, I don't think they are among in self defense, unless they are hard core believers in the Democratic Party's divide and conquer.
They have more to worry about from each other than from Trump voters. You saw all the grief handed to Trump voters during the campaign. My guess is when the supporters get home, they are ready.
As far as I personally am concerned, anyone can survive, if the will is there. These groups I mentioned have individuals in them that are more vulnerable than the average person on the street. But these groups have shown repeatedly that they are either unable or unwilling to do what they need to do, to survive.
I keep going back to Katrina, as that incident uncovered heretofore unsuspected vulnerabilities in our society. Do you recall the elderly and disabled folks left to die in nursing homes? If wheelchair bound, they couldn't do a thing to save their own lives. Those who could walk but were too frail to walk very far, also succombed.
How about those who unthinkingly boarded the government-provided buses that transported them to the Superdome? How did they fare? I for one would not have wanted my wife or daughters in that place. I wouldn't have wanted to be there myself.
How about the folks trapped on top of their roofs, or up in their attics, in stifling heat, with no drinkable water available? Did they not hear the warnings to evacuate? Or did they just assume it would all be OK?
When we are presented with real-life examples of who uses sense and who does not, why is it ignored? I guess history has to repeat itself, and even then most will not learn. I don't see what politics has to do with it.
its not rocket science. Its survival of the fittest.
I think you underestimate the reality that if they haven't already modified their behavior and thinking then the chances of them being able to fully adjust after the fact then you're the one mistaken. There is A LOT more than just adjusting one behavior; there is planning, prepping, psychological preparation, and finally living what you preach. Those late to such a SHTF party already have such a disadvantage of no food and water that its almost impossible to overcome.
Most of us are unprepared by that logic....the preppers are the exception and even they are probably unprepared because they are considering some types of SHTF scenario while if one really happens it may be of a very different kind. All of us will need behavior modification anyway and most of us could really use a lesson in the difference between wants and needs! However, I don't see how someone's idea that they "need" to drive a Humvee on their daily commute (or they demand that no one does that because it is not "green") has any bearing at all on whether they can start a fire with sticks, stones, and tinder!!!! Similarly, I don't think someone's views on abortion or family values, or indeed even their willingness to drive a garbage truck to get ahead, have anything whatsoever to so with whether they have the skills to build a bow and arrow from scratch and shoot game...
Most of us are unprepared by that logic....the preppers are the exception and even they are probably unprepared because they are considering some types of SHTF scenario while if one really happens it may be of a very different kind. All of us will need behavior modification anyway and most of us could really use a lesson in the difference between wants and needs! However, I don't see how someone's idea that they "need" to drive a Humvee on their daily commute (or they demand that no one does that because it is not "green") has any bearing at all on whether they can start a fire with sticks, stones, and tinder!!!! Similarly, I don't think someone's views on abortion or family values, or indeed even their willingness to drive a garbage truck to get ahead, have anything whatsoever to so with whether they have the skills to build a bow and arrow from scratch and shoot game...
Basic survival skill are basic survival skills, doesn't matter what the emergency is.
You need food, shelter, a way to keep warm, know how to get potable water or make it, and basic medical skills.
You don't need to know how to start a fire with sticks if you know how to use a lens or flint and steel.
You don't need to know how to make a bow and arrow, but knowing how to make a knife or spear would be good.
Learning to use what's around you, natural or man made to construct a shelter to keep you warm and dry, that's pretty basic stuff and applies to pretty much any scenario.
You can only last about 3 days without water, so you better know how to get it and purify it if you plan on living for very long.
Basic first aid is a given as well. Stopping blood flow, how to immobilize a damaged/broken bone, keeping wounds clean to avoid infection, all basic necessities.
You can survive without food for around 30 days, so that's of secondary importance, but knowing edible plants in your area can keep you going even if you're pretty hungry, until something better comes along.
Knowing how to navigate and find your way to safety with or without a compass is good.
Learning to fish and trap small game can keep you fed, but takes practice.
Making cordage is a great skill, but not something you discover by chance.
These last ones are nice to know, and make life a lot easier, but not strictly necessary to survive unless it's long term.
These are all skills that can keep you alive in any disaster or emergency, but they're skills you need to know and practice before you need them.
Politics don't have any real bearing on survival, but they can give insight into a person's thought process and how willing they are to step up and take care of themselves, or if they'll wait for the government to rescue them.
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