GOLDEN HOARD AVOIDANCE
Here I am this morning getting in my thirty minutes of pre-work Internet use in and I go over to the new kid on the block, www.shtfblog.com . I’m still enjoying Creekmore more than ever but he doesn’t publish first thing in the morning. Today’s article was on the feasibility of suburban survival, specifically how SHTF it is a viable strategy and if TEOTWAWKI takes place he is still pretty safe since the Golden Hoard will gravitate towards the conventional farms. So Ranger Man doesn’t think the conventional survival advice is that sound, as far as homesteading ( a big home lot is better than a farm, Golden Hoard magnet-wise ). A fine point, indeed. And it gave me my fine outstanding idea for the day which is that crap land is even better suited in this regard.
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I keep harping on you about buying a small RV lot out in the country for $500-$1,000. This is great insurance against homelessness. It is great insurance against Social Security failing or underpaying and you can’t afford property tax anymore ( in Commie Countries like New Jersey the average property tax is something like $10,000 a year-almost more than renting an apartment ). I sure am not telling you this constantly because I have a financial interest in it since my Dirt Cheap Dirt blog only brings me in two or three bucks a month. I’m telling you because in a bad economy a paid for piece of land can be the best thing that could happen to you. The families fleeing the Dust Bowl had employment to go to and gas to get them there. You might not have either one, so you can be homeless or you can live on a junk piece of land. The alternative is illegal squatting and that is not a great strategy if for no other reason than our increasingly Fascist police state. Today, you get harassed into leaving. Tomorrow you might get involuntarily sent to a work camp. Remember, the Jewish genocide in Germany had a lot to do with economics. Don’t give the Forth Reich an excuse to herd you into the showers.
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Junk land, by its very nature, has few attractions. That is why you buy it so cheap. You could be in an economically depressed area with no jobs. Or a desert that gets nine inches of rain a year miles from utility lines. While some junk land is a bad idea to be on, quite a bit is so God-Forsaken that no self-respecting looter or refugee is going to bother with it. You can buy East Texas land cheap, but a lot of large cities are nearby and it is in a relatively lush and fertile area. It is not a farm, but the population already there or nearby is huge. And by buying near a lake you are a target from would be fishermen. The only reason the land is cheap is because there are so few jobs to be had. Yet it could still be a Hoard magnet. Detroit and similar cities might have city lots for a grand and houses for ten thousand, but I would avoid that area like it was Beirut. In a lot of ways it already is close to that city, if not closer to Escape From New York.
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The desert on the other hand, holds almost no attraction to anyone. I like it. Away from the main cities, rural Nevada is a good survival pick. If you are close to water. You are hundreds of miles from the California Hoard and the Idahoans and Utahans are more than likely going to stay close to home ( if only because Nevada holds less of an attraction ). Other desert areas will likewise be avoided, just beware too close to the Mexican boarder. It is a Low Intensity Conflict right now with coyotes running people and other banditos running drugs. Imagine how much worse it will get if Mexico’s oil runs out too quick, or if economic catastrophe here escalates ethnic tensions.
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Of course, not being a farm which repels Hoarders also means you can’t survive long term once your grain and bean stash runs out. Either pre-fertilize the ground and have a plan for hauling water using muscle power or develop a good post-apocalypse skill to be used at the nearest settlement for trading. Neither is bullet proof, but being by yourself on a rural farm is also problematic.. The point is to shun conventional wisdom. Do something that no one is expecting. The masses will then pass you by. A large farm means needing to feed and keep an army to defend it.
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OMG!! Here are some really terrifying pictures. I haven’t been this frightened for some time- the Horned One at her more revealing moments. The first one of her and Bill answer the perplexing question of what Bill ever saw in Monica. The old one of her in vertical stripe pants shows some massive thunder thighs. The first smile close up looks like her dentist lives in London. I’m not pretty to look at myself, but I’m not Satan’s ho trying to get elected a third time. http://www.zombietime.com/really_truly_hillary_gallery/
Enough about other people, this is supposed to be about me. Go to my web site for links, a free booklet, a short fiction piece ( proving how good I am with very little effort ), books for sale as well as prep gear www.bisonpress.com
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11 comments:
The Nazis didn't care if you owned your land or not. If they didn't like you then you went to the camps. Just because you own your land doesn't mean that you'll always be immune to government tyranny. A cheap, crappy piece of land might get passed over during the days when the golden horde is roaming the countryside but most likely it will be unsustainable in the long run. Eventually societies will start to reform and they won't be reforming around worthless plots of land where you can't grow food. If you can't grow your own food or raise your own livestock on your land (spreading fertilizer around won't magically make your land fertile) then eventually you'll have to go find one of those societies and they're a lot more likely to make you work than allow you to just trade and be on your way unless you have something that they genuinely want. Do you think that you're going to magically develop some valuable skill after TEOTWAWKI? When you run out of food and your land can no longer support you then you'll have to find someplace that can.
I got to the middle of those pictures, saw that chicks nipples, got a boner, now I'm going to surf porn.
thanks. thanks alot.
I think SHTF conversations quickly spiral into a maze of debate over this approach or that when what should first be established is the degree to which the SHTF situation in discussion is.
I think Bison was referencing a more "moderate" view of SHTF in this post, urban survivalist, as opposed to a TEOTWAWKI scenario. SHTF situations can be isolated to one individual. If you lose your job and can't afford your mortgage, it's SHTF - for you anyway, perhaps not for the rest of the world. During the Great Depression laws were still upheld. So long as you owned your land and could afford the taxes, no one could take it from you. If you buy cheap land you have high odds of being able to pay it off, and the tax rates on cheap land are - cheap.
If one bought a cheap lot in the middle of nowhere and placed a travel trailer on it, it IS a lot better than being homeless. Further, it could be used as a hunting camp if you're into that sort of thing, AND, given the projected population growth in the U.S., cheap land won't be cheap forever. Real estate is an investment.
Regarding fertilizer and such, it's FAR more effective to skip trying to "fix" crappy soil and instead build raised beds as I mentioned in my original post. I've done it at my house and I BUILT the soil by bringing in a mixture of screened loam, cow manure and compost. This is fast and effective. Employing the square foot gardening/French intensive techniques combined with a raised bed produces exceptional yield. There are extensive benefits to raised bed gardens. Building a small greenhouse on site and using container gardening in addition is also possible.
As for the Nazi analogy, that was a TEOTWAWKI scenario for the Jews. If I faced such a situation they'd have to carry me off my land in a body bag, because that's the only way I'd go.
If it was some other TEOTWAWKI situation, Mad Max like, then yes, owning your own land won't matter. The best approach then is to quickly assemble a like-minded force, find a place for the group to become self-sufficient, establish a perimeter, and recruit more like-minded people.
Did you read his post? "Golden Horde Avoidance" is the title of it. When people start talking about The Golden Horde it's pretty obvious that they're talking about TEOTWAWKI. As long as there is some semblance of government and laws are still being upheld then you don't have to worry about Joe Blow running around with his group of middle class buddies scouring the countryside for easy targets.
Now as for having a patch of land in the middle of nowhere as insurance against homelessness I suppose that it's not such a bad idea if you have no friends or family in your support channels that could help you out if you had a personal SHTF. I suppose I'm pretty spoiled because I have friends and family that would practically make me come and live with them if I ended up homeless. That goes both ways because if they became homeless then I would absolutely insist that they come and stay with me until they got back on their feet.
Square foot gardening is great if you learn how to do it now. I've already got my garden planned out for next year. If you intend to wait until after TEOTWAWKI to learn how to do it and your food supply is running out by the time you get around to it then you probably won't have much luck. Soil quality is still important and you might have trouble getting all of the materials you need to keep it producing year after year if you're in the middle of the desert.
Any situation that results in average people being forced out of the city to ravage the countryside looting, pillaging and stealing whatever they need to get by is TEOTWAWKI. THAT is the Golden Horde. The end result WILL be a Mad Max type scenario. Being under the radar in the middle of nowhere on a cheap piece of infertile land might get you through the initial chaos but while other people are banding together and trying to rebuild communities you'll be playing hermit. Communities that rise from that type of scenario might be just a little suspicious of strangers. Especially in the desert where supplies are extremely limited.
I have every intention of getting my own little piece of paradise in the boonies. I'd rather find the right plot rather than getting the cheapest piece of land that I can find, though. I want a piece of land that I'll actually use even if the world isn't ending. The guy that buys a couple of acres in the middle of nowhere "just in case" and never does anything with it is as silly as the guy that buys a rifle and a thousand rounds of ammo, puts it in a box and never bothers to learn how to shoot it. Sometimes just having it isn't enough.
Recently I ran into some "problems" at work. You had better believe that it is SHTF for me.
Fortunately I have 7 1/2 months of food and essential supplies stored and a nice cash reserve and some PM's to get me through.
To be fair Urban Survivalist I believe Mr Daikins reference to the Golden Horde were made due to a post he read.
FWIW I like the idea of having a cheap piece of land. It's all about having options. Imagine you have to bug out and your sole bug out location is also comprimised? That'd seriously suck.
Take it easy everyone and enjoy the ride.
Some good comments today. Great post jim, keep up the good work.
Hope I'm not jinxing the comments but would like to also note the comments so far relate to the original post. Real discussion with varied views is very productive. It can help us all in terms of planning and action regardless of our personal views on a subject.
I just got back from wackin porn, thanks, thanks alot.
Tomorrow please dont post any dirty pictures.
Where to start, that is the question.
This first comment goes to the urban survivalest. Base upon your comment on being homeless I can tell that you never have been. I have and it sucks. Yes I have friends and family that offered to help and some did for a short period. However it does not matter how good a friend or how close a family member you start wearing thin real quick. You could be the worlds greatest house guest and still your presents will wear thin in a short period of time. The only think that save me and my family was a piece of, at that time, worthless land. It was in the desert that no one wanted to live in at the end of a very long unkept dirt road with bad soil. And yet it was a place for me and my family to build a lost cost recycled home and start again. Today the home around me are going for the millions, last one sold for 3 million. Of course all that does is rase my property taxes, but my place is paid for and I don't have to worry about that homeless thing again.
Now to mr. 7:47, get a life and grow up. If not I am sure there is some site where children got that you would fit in.
Chuck in Phoenix, I am not afraid to let you know who I am.
Hey dere, Jim:
I think that you meant ta say "horde", not "hoard" Your hoard is what you hide from da horde, so's you don't get gored.
Golden Horde avoidance and whether you choose a farm or junk land are two seperate topics. Avoiding the golden horde (or the seattle horde, or the denver horde, etc )would mean being far from large population centers and staying out of natural lines of drifs such as interstate highways. Junk land around Bakersfield will be far less safe then a nice little farm far off the beaten track in a less populated state. Now onto farm vs. desert "junk" land.
I think the biggest thing to recognize is that Bison shows the way to a very low cost survival plan. Absolutely no hit on that, he does a great service. Junk land is very desirable because almost anybody could buy a couple acres of desert in an area with no work for cash after a few months of saving and extra double shifts.
Productive land with water is generally alot more expensive. The closer it is to civilization and jobs the more expensive it will be.
The idea of "riding it out" in an urban or suburban area will work for moderate relatively short term situations. Think of Katrina or the LA riots and stretch the timeline a little bit. Unless you have an enormous budget to build an underground hidden bunker and stock it for years leaving a built up area is essential in a long term grid down situation.
Whether you want a farm or junk land really depends on 2 things. First what can you afford and second what do you visualize as the worst case scenario that you need to plan for. If you have a modest budget (don't we all) and or think preparing for 6-12 months of sel sufficiency is plenty then junk land with alot of wheat, rice and beans is going to be plenty assuming you have water. Unless there is access to water (without power) I suggest a very large storage tank (1000gallon plus) and some sort of a collection plan for when you do get rain. Driving the truck with a 500gallon tank to town every couple months will not work in a SHTF situation. If you think the SHTF situation will last longer then you can store food for you will have to have some means to produce more food.
If you can afford it and think that a 1year plus to multi generation breakdown is possible then having some productive land with water would be important.
If you are trying to scrape substinance out of relatively (or very) dry and unproductive land I suggest looking at how the natives of the area you are choosing lived before contact. Probably some combination of gardening (raised beds are logistically easier but harder to make a big footprint for your garden) and small animals (rabits, chickens, goats and sheep) would be a good place to start.
Check out my blog at http://tslrf.blogspot.com/
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