depletion

DEPLETION
Check out the guest articles over the weekend. Both days. From someone that cares. From someone who foolishly put the time and effort into giving something free, only to see a bunch of ungrateful trolls bitch and moan. I'm surprised anyone even bothers. Thank you.
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I'm looking at about a twenty five percent increase in probationary loyal minions ( newbies ). Rather than repeat the Katrina experience where my surge of readers was short lived, I'm going to take today to kind of sum up what we do here ( and hopefully keep them this time ). Try to answer such perplexing questions as, who the heck is this Dakin fellow? Why is he so paranoid? Why does he try to be so contrary? Why does he make fun of my asparagus patch and my super deluxe high powered plastic carbine with $50 magazines? Why can't he embrace the patriotic America of SUV's and three thousand square feet McMansions? And most importantly, why doesn't he show his pictures of his trailer in his African trailer park?
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For the photographic dependents who can't spend a lot of time actually reading, I'll sum it up right now. Complete resource depletion. True, to start out with I mainly focused on economic depletion. As in, I was writing for poor folks that couldn't afford much in preps. And that is still my main focus. But to get a big picture, I'm trying to prepare as many people as possible to survive on a lot less. You can be poor and still afford a car. I'm trying to say that we're going to have to survive without them completely. Now, this doesn't make me too popular. No one likes the guy yelling at the crowd of drunks that they will wake up with a hangover the next day. What a kill joy, right? And I didn't discover the cause of hangovers, I'm just reporting what I read. Yet I'm to blame. Both for the hangover and for killing the party atmosphere. Most of my readers already get this. That is why that aren't frightened off. They know where we are headed and just want a few tips on how to prepare along the way.
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For the new guys, this isn't a happy place to gather. I try to make it light hearted and humorous, most the time ( when I'm not grumpy and mean ), but you will not find any magic bullet to keeping your resource rich life going strong during or after the collapse. I preach as if you know you must adjust to accepting less. That the next generation is doomed to regress, not progress. Resource depletion. Less energy, less riches, less jobs, less food, less wood. Less ammunition, less transportation. And I don't lay claim to much originality. I read widely and try to connect the dots. And pass on to you how to do things cheaply. But for everything there is a price, and frugal prepping has a price of accepting a lower standard of living.
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Junk land ( one acre of sterile soil, dry, or economically impoverished land ) is not the best place to live. But for a grand or two, with a tax bill of $10, and no debt, it can't be beat. A grain and bean diet during an emergency will suck ( start eating whole wheat flour now to adjust your system ) but it costs hundreds instead of thousands. A bolt action war surplus rifle won't work great against a mob of biker zombies, but it will meet most other defense needs at 10% of the cost. A revolver isn't as sexy as an auto pistol, but it also doesn't need $20 mags. A travel trailer is a poor dwelling to call home, but it is mobile, turn key, already 12v equipped and if bought used even someone on minimum wage can afford one without a mortgage. No garden goes against self-sufficiency preaching, but it allows you to live on junk land and the lack is partially negated by your grain stockpile. No one wants to be without a car, and bicycling is both uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous. But that is the wave of the future so you might as well start it now to avoid shortages and life threatening exercise. Less heat in the winter and no A/C in the summer seems impossible. But try adapting after the oil imports halt and see how easy it will be then instead of now while you have time to adjust. Minimum wage earners are looked on as druggies, slackers and losers. Yet you have a lot more flexibility than high wage earners needing to find that illusive secure job. And you don't have to worry about wage cuts. No retirement, no medical, they seem scary at first blush. But, again, the wave of the future. Confront it now while you have options.
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Expecting less is in itself looked on as un-American. But the American Empire is already over, a walking corpse. As is the dollar. I won't sugar coat, I won't blow sunshine up your butt. I won't pretend problems will vanish. I only have paranoia and fear to offer. So, please, if all this fills you with dread, go away. On the other hand, if it gives you hope that with a little sacrifice ( okay, a lot ) you just might survive, welcome to my world. By the way, the African trailer park remark is explained as follows. The trolls are requiring picture proof on my living off grid, the latest in their series to discredit me. First they called me racist when I bad mouthed immigration ( I've been married four times, twice to Mexicans- I'm surprised they didn't want a copy of my marriage license ). Then I didn't know anything about guns because I couldn't endorse semi's. Everyone knows you need semi-auto to survive. There were a few other campaigns. But the latest "you still live in a park instead of on junk land" included one idiot remark that I was writing from Africa. I can just see the character from American Dad, looking at shock to his CIA buddies. "You wrote WHAT? Who'll buy that one?" So now I'm writing from an African trailer park ( is there even such a thing? ).
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As to my caustic, bitter, cynical writing, I didn't use to be this way. I wrote bland, unoffensive articles. I guess I got bored and just evolved ( or devolved ). I think it is more fun this way. We might as well enjoy the collapse while we can.
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All loyal minions, buy my crap! ( actually, sales are up nicely- thank you everyone ).
http://www.bisonpress.com/
This was sent to me, interesting.
http://www.safehaven.com/showarticle.cfm?id=12578&pv=1
And I was really impressed with the insight on this one ( and a bit jealous I didn't think of it )
http://tslrf.blogspot.com/2009/02/mexicos-potential-collapse.html