toxic buckets

TOXIC BUCKETS
Before we start today, a heads up if you need some wool blankets. www.sportsmansguide.com has a great deal, four blankets of 100% wool for $18 plus shipping, or 16 for $60. I’m not going to order any as I bought a dozen years ago plus I have been picking them up one at a time as I find them. I’m sure I have at least sixteen of them already. They measure five by six ( actually 5 1/3 by 6 ¾ ). Don’t wait to order, they are limited quantity. Search under order # lx9m-48395 or lx9m-86812.
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We’ve talked about Wal-Mart plastic poly buckets for grain storage, but I think it’s been awhile and a reminder is always nice. I was reminded as I was reading Rawles Preparedness Course I was given by a minion. No way I would have dropped over a hundred bucks on a course on how to shop at Costco. A good thing too, because the course is only suitable for newbies. If you are new to the field of preparedness, and if you plan to stockpile food by duplicating your everyday grocery items, and if you have a huge family, then this course will pay for itself. Otherwise, it is way overpriced. But I don’t want you to think I’m trying to kill you by giving you bad advice. I’m all about helping a brother out by being able to shop on an extremely limited budget, but that doesn’t include advice that is dangerous ( yes, I know advising you to arm yourself with anything other than semi automatic weapons is endangering you, but other than that…[that was sarcasm by the way] ). I think that worrying about toxic buckets is overblown, personally. I’m not saying there isn’t a risk. Perhaps there is. I’m not a chemist, and I don’t play one on TV. This is one of those things you need to decide on your own. Just like with semi’s. Do you want to be able to saturate the air with lead for a few firefights before you run out of ammo, or do you want to conserve your rounds by using a bolt action? Either strategy can get you killed, you have to decide which is better ( and don’t tell me about fire discipline- 99% of survivalists don’t have the training for that ).
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I certainly wouldn’t fault you for taking Rawles advice on using Wal-Mart buckets ( I would fault you on taking some of his other advice but it isn’t personal- he is just the current epitome of Yuppie Survivalist Guru ). If in doubt, don’t try to poison yourself. I still think it is better to store your grain in paint buckets if that is all you afford than not get the grain in the first place. To remind you, the Wal-Mart paint buckets are labeled as food grade plastic. Rawles is warning you that the cheaper chemicals added to the plastic are toxic, turning food grade plastic dangerous. I still use them, both to store post Apocalypse food in and as water buckets I fill up each week for my water supply. I look at it this way. The plastic may or may not be as bad as warned. It is like aluminum verses stainless steel cooking pots. Aluminum most likely isn’t as bad as they are warning about, but just in case over time I switched completely over to stainless. I’ll do the same with the plastic buckets. For now, I’m not panicking. But to be on the safe side I’ll try to avoid buying anymore buckets not made specifically for food ( which might be another plus when buying the Wal-Mart wheat-in-buckets from the Preparedness aisle- you know for sure the bucket is OK verses do-it-yourself ).
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If you don’t have two or three years of wheat per person ( 400 pounds a year each ) as a Deep Crap Food Store, I would hurry up and buy your wheat, regardless of whether it is store bought, feed store, food grade or paint bucket. The risk of not having the wheat is far higher than having buckets that may or may not have crap leaking from them. If you listened to every panic attack about our food containers you wouldn’t be drinking bottled water or giving your infant a plastic bottle to suck out of. Let alone the “edible” items from them. We live in a world of pollution. I’m not saying to go out of your way to ingest them, but I am saying to weigh risks rationally. Just don’t do it talking on a cell phone or standing near a microwave oven. You might be irradiated! ( again with the sarcasm ).
END

guest article

GUEST ARTICLE
This is another post from preppernation.com
*Today I want to share an account of a young man that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. This is a specific young man that I’m going to refer to but I think he is representative of most any young man starting out in life, at least for the majority of the timeline we will be examining. *With wide eyes and a healthy sense of immortality this young man leaves the security of the life he has know. Properly prepared to move forward in life having been trained by well meaning, loving parents to always make the right and moral choices.
*Our young man was faced almost immediately with a life changing decision. What would he do to provide himself a living? It seemed that there was two main options for him to weigh as he made this critical determination. One, he could move directly into the work force, taking an entry level position and advance slowly as he obtained his skills on the job. Or two, he could continue his education for the next several years and secure a college degree, allowing him to achieve the higher level employment positions later in life.
*Our boy decided to make the right choice and continue with his education. After enrolling himself in a 4 year program at the local State University, he threw himself into his studies. His diligence paid off and 4 years later he was awarded the degree he sought, graduating with honors. Atta Boy!
*With his degree in hand, he set out to locate a firm looking to employ an honorable hardworking man such as himself. It would take a bit of time to secure the right position with the upward mobility opportunities he was after. That was alright as this was an important decision and those student loan payments could be deferred for a while yet, at least until that perfect position opened up. So our guy, always up to the task, made the right decision and took his time looking for the sweet spot.
*OK! Now, he had arrived. A large corporation swept him off his feet, offering him a rare position in a department that had plenty of ladder climbing capacity! They were giving him the recognition that a talented graduate deserved. He would be working with some of the big boys and be expected to keep up with the team. A real high power crowd, expensive suits and spendy automobiles would be required to make the right impression on the clients. No problem, gotta dress for success! Our newly employed young man, found that the car dealers and mens furnishings store credit departments had nothing but confidence in him and his blossoming career years ahead. They laid out the trimmings he would need for a successful appearance. They even offered him the option to hold the costs over for 90 days. This would allow him the time he needed to find his groove without the payment pressures to distract him!
*As we all would expect him to… He made the right decision! It took no time at all for our rising star to begin to make his mark on his new company. Sunshine and roses, it was all falling into place, just as he had planned.
*Our young man, like most that will answer honestly, was looking forward to finding the perfect little gal to make his wife. That was the next item to be checked on his to-do list. Wouldn’t even consider it until he had the means of supporting her but that box was now checked! Like a smart fella he knew he wanted to find a wife that would be his equal, intellectually. What better place to begin his search but back at his almamoder. There was a lot of bright, beautiful and eligible young ladies back in those stacks!
*Once Prince Charming began the search, it didn’t take long to identify his choice. A wonderful girl that could not have been better suited to our guy. They had similar upbringing and views on family matters, even attended the same church denomination. Like “Mr. Right”, our gal had nearly completed her degree and would be graduating with honors in a month or two. Of course the addition of a second debt for her college degree would accompany “Ms. Right” into their new marriage.
*It was a whirlwind romance and the “Rights” would be married early the next fall. These were the best and brightest, real smart kids and they wanted it all to be perfect. Why wouldn’t they? They had played by the rules and made the right choices and worked hard to achieve each accomplishment they had! They deserved their happiness! They had the world by the tail and the blessings of everyone…
*The wedding was straight out of the brides dreams, not to big but at the same time couldn’t leave anyone out. The costs did mount as the “Rights” made all the final arrangements. The brides family did what they could financially and the kids made up the difference for the overages. It wasn’t lavish but did leave them a credit card bill for over 15K, once the romantic tropical honeymoon was factored in. They thought that it had all been pretty reasonable, considering they each had known friends to spend much more on their weddings! All said and done they had shown exceptional maturity and restraint in their spending, everyone said so! *They setup housekeeping in the responsibly located condominium that our good fellow had rented to be near his office. The work load and sales appointments could keep him well into the evening during the weeknights. It was for a good cause and would pay dividends down the road with the big bosses. Mrs. Right was ready to begin the search for her career entry point now that the wedding was wrapped up and they had her settled in her new home. The weeks seemed to roll right on past and our young wife was thoroughly enjoying her new role as wife and homemaker to her fine hardworking husband. It was the right thing for her to want, to take good care of her husband. She did spent time regularly looking into what her employment opportunities were but her heart just wasn’t really in it. She was married now and that was after all one of her life’s big dreams too? A husband and some children of her own, eventually.
*Our happy couple had a great relationship and our guy was really enjoying the benefits of having a loving wife waiting for him when he walked through the door each evening! He was doing well at the firm and was making more sales as his experience grew. Seeing his wife bloom in her new found happiness and with children to come, not to far into the future. He thought it would be the right thing to do offering to have her stay home full time, if that was what she wanted.
*They had agreed that she would just take her time making up her mind about the career. They really were enjoying these traditional roles and having a great time together. Neither of them could believe that it would go so quickly but they rounded the corner on their first anniversary in no time flat. Since a career choice hadn’t made it to the top of the list for his bride, it seemed apparent that she was going to be content being his wife, full time. This wasn’t a problem as she was far exceeding his expectations and making him very happy.
*As they entered their second year of wedded bliss, they decided that they wanted to open the discussions of their future family. They agreed prior to marrying that they both did indeed want to have children but it was the timing that was still up in the air. Since she had decided to make marriage her career. They felt it would be the right choice to move forward with the plans to start adding children to the family.
*They agreed that the condo wasn’t the right place to be raising children, so they began the search for a home that would meet the needs of a growing family. They talked with their parents and examined two possibilities. Either they could rent a home or go ahead and make a home purchase. All parties agreed that a purchase would be the right choice. In the long run they would regret making rent payments and having nothing to show for it. The monthly expense would be a bit higher but they would be gaining equity!
*In the city where our couple currently lived, homes were appreciating rapidly. Many trendy areas and it was common for the home sellers to receive multiple offers as soon as they put their homes on the market. Our young family wanted to continue living in the area, it was close to Mr. Rights office and seemed like the right thing to do.
*A few short months past and our kids found out they were indeed expecting a delivery very close to their second wedding anniversary. That was wonderful news, the home they had selected was on an extended closing and the time period would work perfectly to have them moved in before the baby’s arrival. Everything was working out just right…
*The happy couple had decided to save every penny they could and put them into a special savings account. They would then use this small fortune as their down payment on the house. There goal was to have a full 10% as a down payment, they had always heard from their parents that this was the right approach to home ownership… However, this required that only the minimum payments got made on all of their debts. They didn’t feel like this would be a great set back as they had only thoughtfully made credit purchases and always for the right reasons. In their two years of marriage they had accrued only a relatively small amount of credit debt including the wedding expenses, honeymoon. Take those few things away and all they had was the student loans and Mr. Rights “work” car… They felt a degree of pride as they continued to make all the right decisions, even though they had many friends from school and the office that were living far beyond there means…
*Their home purchase closed and the family to be completed their move from the condo in plenty of time to prepare for the baby’s arrival. Their friends and family had been incredibly generous at the baby showers and they had most of the things the book said they would need. Just a few odds and ends to pull it all together, this added only a small additional balance to the credit card. No big deal as that total would have been a much larger amount if they hadn’t been blessed with generous friends.
*Baby arrived “Right” on time as expected. They were the perfect family, enjoying a new home and all paths appeared to be leading to green pastures. The next several years went smoothly and according to plan. The “Rights” added a second child and Mr. Right was upwardly moving at the office. Life would always have the unknowns and they would field a curve ball from time to time, like most families. A replacement car would be required for their growing brood. The occasional upgrade of work related expenses, the usual office dress attire or newer model automobile. These were acceptable expenses as it takes money to make money or so the theory goes. A second set of this or that, now that there was two children… We all know the drill, always something to keep a young family busy and often broke! No, not broke in the traditional sense but more monthly expenses than ideally planned for and seldom that extra payment per year toward the mortgage that was suppose to happen.
*Mr Right was very happy with his life and family, overall! He did however begin to grow weary of the long hours that the company and clients demanded. He began to find his mind wandering to other activities that he would do if he only had the time. Being the good husband and father, he put his personal longings for a change of pace down into the deepest parts of his soul. Better he keep these desires to himself and not risk appearing to have lost track of the right priorities. *The family continued to grow, as the years went by… The happy couple had welcomed a third and final baby to their home. Mr. Right knew in his heart that he had made all the right choices and wouldn’t consider doing anything to upset the delicate balance of their happy home. He had successfully denied the feelings he had been having for years, even his wife wasn’t fully aware of the quite desperation her husband felt.
*Things at the “Right” household were sustainable as long as Mr. Right continued to run through his life at the breakneck pace he set for himself nearly a decade ago. In the beginning, it was all new and fun climbing that ladder to success. Our boy climbed, year after year and right choice after right choice. *He realized that he would have to keep this up, want to or not! He had three little mouths to feed, all under the age of 8, a wonderful wife that didn’t ask for much for herself but wanted good things for their children. That, of course, was understandable and the right thing to do, as well! Amazingly, the careful credit usage habits that had been a source of pride only a few years ago, had none the less mounted into what came to well over a 100K dollars of debt. Largely this was due to the student loans for his and Mrs. Right’s education. They had both believed these debts a cornerstone of their career investment strategy. Two car payments and a 30 year house note with 25 years of payments still to go. His having made the right choice and kept only one credit card in the house might have been a comfort, except that ONE had a balance of nearly 10K on it… Sales continued at the office but it seemed that other than keeping up with the standard demands on his income, our young go getter wasn’t making alot of head way. At about the time a good run of sales commissions would come through he would find that it was time to purchase a this or put a deposit on a that. Always for a reason and as ALWAYS the right thing to do.
*A short time has passed and this brings us near the end of this story about the “Rights”… We now find our eager young man in quite a position. He awoke one day and looked around at his unfamiliar almost puzzling surroundings. There was no one with him but he also was not alone? He had a peculiar feeling that he new where he was and he tried to focus his eyes on a strange pattern in front of him. It was a grid of bars, a long row of vertical slats that he was staring at that gray day… How had he gotten to this place of despair, trapped inside this cell? He closed his eyes again and allowed his mind to find its equilibrium.
*He began to regain his bearings, recognizing that he was indeed in a cell. The cell was the one he had built himself, one right choice at a time. Brick by brick those walls went up, willingly up and up they went. So high had these walls gone that now he had no choice, he was trapped. Trapped in a cell behind these bars, the bars also of his own making! This time in an even more literal sense, the bars he saw before him weren’t made of steel, they were of cedar. The bars were indeed the white picket fence in front of the house where our young man lives with his family. He had somehow fallen as he left the house for another evening at work, away from that family! Sadly, he picked himself up and continued on as this wasn’t just a dream – It was much worse, it was the – AMERICAN DREAM!


Submitted for your consideration!

Prepper

your life sucks ass

YOUR LIFE SUCKS ASS
A valid charge usually brought up by non-preppers against survivalists is that their life sucks blue monkey scrotum and the only way they cope is to fantasize about being king of the mountain after the Apocalypse. It might be a reasonable charge, but begs the question if that invalidates the concern behind it. In other words, are we fantasizing because we’re bored or are we fantasizing because we know its coming and can’t wait? Is it escapism or is it anticipation? Are we looking for facts to support our dreams, or looking at facts and dreaming? I think it is an important question. Of course, you already know which way I’m leaning, if for no other reason than I’m prejudiced. And I’m preaching to the choir. But perhaps, just maybe, I might argue enough to push a fence sitter into our nightmarish reality.
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I will readily admit that in certain ways I can’t wait until I have license to shoot everyone I don’t like in the outsiders group. I’ve got a lot of pent up hostility. But I also know that life is simply going to just keep on sucking more and more. Things will continue their inevitable decline. You admire and worship me, the ladies swoon at my mention, my lifestyle off grid held in awe by all. But as I’ve bragged on before, I’m just building up what will one day be a luxurious existence. I do think things will keep declining past the point where my grubbing in the weeds will one day be looked on in envy ( the velocity of course is in question ). I know things are going to continue to get worse, despite my future palace. So what makes me think the collapse will be an improvement in my lifestyle? The accusation that I fantasize over the Apocalypse could only be made by someone that is only scratching the surface of survivalism. Serious students know the reality. So, sure, I can shoot people rather than let them stress me. If I don’t get killed right away and can bring value to a post collapse group, perhaps I’ll own enough livestock to pick and choose a bedmate. Retirement will be simple- when I loose all my teeth and can’t eat jerky I won’t make it through the winter. Things will be simpler, I’ll get a pair of Biguns to sleep on, I can kill some idiots. But I also have to worry about disease and starvation. All in all, I’d rather have a minimum wage job and order books from Amazon and lead a boring life.
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Looking forward to the collapse is not because it will be an improvement. It is because we know it is inevitable and so we try to look on the bright side of things. Boobs and guns. And you thought I was pessimistic and gloomy.
END

transporting organic

TRANSPORTING ORGANIC
Okay, today you get a token article. Tomorrow you get a short article. Friday you get another long guest article. Right now it looks like you are on your own for the weekend. Yesterday I limped into work on a slowly leaking tire, the Green Goo trying valiantly but failing to completely stop the leak. If I am right and the whole world is indeed out to get me ( because, after all, it is ALL about me ), I would swear someone is spiking the road. Here they are in a warm interior shooting down the road, and I’m the asshole for making them slow down to the speed limit and swerve around. Anyway, I had a Near Monday Day From Hell, compounded by knowing I would have to walk home afterwards. And when I just now took the bike down to the shop he was closed down tighter than a whore house the day before payday during a credit contraction. Hence, I don’t have the time for a whole lot of writing. If you’re smart you are already skipping out of work early to go visit family and could care less anyway.
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First, just to warn you, this will be another whiney article on how wrong the slow collapse people are and how wonderful and correct I am. Hey, if you don’t like it suggest some different topics for me. And after a thousand articles you know what topics I cover. I’m not going to talk about crap I have no idea about. You already think I do that with the subject matter I do cover. The fact that recently farmers are adjusting to increased artificial fertilizer prices ( along with other costs ) by going organic ( millions of acres a year according to the Druid Dude in his latest book which I loved and will review shortly ) prompts more happy joy orgasmic optimism amongst the slow collapse crowd. Okay. Great. We are already transitioning to organic. This will be a needed step towards the solar economy that will grow up after PODA. But my question is this. Now that more and more farmers are getting more sustainable, how are they going to get all that to market? A few locations will be favored by the proximities of those farms, but our entire nation is dependent on crops grown far away. Our transportation system cannot be transformed. We lack the energy, the money, and the political will to do so. City cores are no longer ringed by a green belt of farmers. They are ringed by Yuppie suburbs full of SUV’s. Food comes from hundreds and thousands of miles away. In an energy decline, you don’t build up new infrastructure.
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On an individual basis, the move to organic is relatively easy. As is the use of solar/wind/micro water. It is when you try to turn the nation to these sources that things fall apart. Too many people are in too many huge concentrations to grow organically and locally. With a huge project, perhaps a metro area could grow their own salads. But certainly not all their own food. And the surrounding land in poisoned and infertile from asphalt and lawns. There isn’t enough material they can import to transform the soil. Not quick enough anyway. Now, I’m talking about a collapse here. During a collapse, we see disruptions. One systematic failure after another. Negative feedback loops. We won’t have enough energy for long distance transport after a certain point. In the transition from global trade to local sustainability, a lot of people can’t get all the food they need. That isn’t as much of a slow collapse as it is a local die-off. Let’s look at it from another view. In ten years, the collapse of the Soviet Union saw life expectancies fall by decades. We all called that a slow collapse. Life went on for a lot of people. Yet, a lot of people died off from untreated health problems, increased diseases, alcoholism, etc. We are arguing semantics at this point, if you are more than likely to die from a fall from a First World to a Third World infrastructure rather than marauding bandits. For that matter, we don’t even look at ethnic massacres in Africa as a sudden collapse, or a die off. We just call it more of the same, the place going to hell. Perhaps the slow collapse crowd is right. Technically we won’t see a collapse. But it won’t matter to you because you are dead from street violence or an untreated heart condition.
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I’m not trying to win an argument by changing definitions ( mainly it is sarcasm ). I still think in a very short period of time a very large number of people will die. And the biggest cause will be that while we still produce a lot of food, it won’t reach far away locations. Plan accordingly. Or just ignore me since I don’t garden organically.
END

stuck without a die-off

STUCK WITHOUT A DIE-OFF
To tie up a few loose ends before we start. The wheat buckets in Wal-Mart are in the food side, about half way down the aisles. I think the holiday isle but I could be wrong. It has a big banner, something preparedness. Sorry I can’t provide more info but when I shop it is early Saturday and I haven’t had my coffee yet. They carry other items, mostly in #10 cans. I don’t have any price comparisons to give you as a $20 can of freeze fried fruit is not in my budget ( vitamin C tabs and sprouts are ). I know how much wheat goes for in various forms and from different sources so that is why I shared that information. The other thing I did Saturday was to stop at Home Despot and got a few feet of rigid foam insulation. Two, 2x4 foot sections were about five bucks total. I yanked out the one layer of living room insulation and put them down along the couch and my reading chair. Much more effective in cutting down the cold from the floor. We’ve been having a steady stream of ten degree mornings and sitting for any period of time chills you eventually. The new ghetto insulation has been doing a bang up job so far. Lastly, I ordered two more LED bulbs from www.superbrightleds.com since I had a few extra bucks. I could have fleshed out the propane fund ( only half a tank for the whole month of usage so far ) but really have been worried about all the cloudy days. I even changed my NetFlix account from three at a time to one at a time DVD’s so I wouldn’t use as much juice. I was worried about using the 18 watt bulb in the bathroom. Now, I only need to use the LED’s. All my bulbs are now converted. I’ll most likely buy more as back-ups. The main reason I’m telling you is that this time it only took three days to deliver. So, if you use the cheapest $5 shipping, it could get there earlier than the $10 UPS or take twice as long. The post office has been more inconsistent than usual.
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I know a lot of you are losing sleep, wondering why I’m so consumed with the question of if we will see a die off or a slow decline. I kept coming back to the subject the last year. At first it started as I was writing the Life After The Collapse book. I was looking for answers. Curiosity got the cat. It was a mental challenge. Then, it was because I was feeling combative and had to argue with other authors. Next it was pride over being ignored. But it suddenly hit me. It was a very important question for another reason. If I’m wrong, I’ve put myself in a rather precarious position. If we suffer a die-off, I increase my odds of survival at my present location. There are a lot less people trying to kill me. Tens of thousands rather than millions ( take your location and draw a two hundred mile circle around it- the average American with a surplus of body fat to eat off of can walk that before they get too hungry- and figure out how many people surround you ). If I’m wrong, I’m beyond the ass end of an energy decline supply chain.
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As the supply of energy declines ( coal and natural gas will quickly follow oil as they are more rapidly consumed as a substitute for petroleum- Peak Coal 2030 and Peak Gas 2020 are holy optimist masturbatory fantasies ), vast stretches of area are going to be abandoned from the supply chain. Since we switched from canal and rail to interstate, once diesel goes, so goes groceries to the boonies. Our area has rail, but that is a frail lifeline with no guarantee of future service. Even if the peons are granted supplies, what is the cost going to be? I can justly fear a very short time where we are seeing Alaska/Hawaii style prices. By that time, corporate closures will have forced prices higher anyway as food chains go bankrupt. Inflation will have packed a wallop. Then, factor in downward pressure on wages as unemployment soars. The last price increase due to transport costs could make living here in the middle of nowhere too expensive for a lot of folks. Perhaps myself included. And that is just Depression effects, not from anything more serious. And from only the very basic survival costs such as food. Can we afford heat? Wouldn’t it be a bitch if we don’t see a collapse but I’m living off stored wheat and poached rabbit anyway?
END
I haven't bugged in for awhile to BUY MY CRAP!! www.bisonpress.com

wal-mart wheat

WAL-MART WHEAT
I know that most of you came into work today, a mixture of worry and anticipation clouding your Zen like state of corporate concentration, wondering how my weekend went. While, don’t worry about that just yet. You need to concentrate more on your job. You won’t have it too much longer, but you need to do all you can to keep it until they lock the doors. We are all capable of increased work performance because, let’s face the facts, our jobs are meaningless make-work of absolutely no redeeming value. Even if they used to be mostly about helping other people ( why you got into it in the first place ), the position/job/company/industry has been co-opted by the money people and corrupted. So, we do just enough to get by. My ratio has always been “10% better than the least of the idiots that did this prior to my arrival”. I’ve always been popular due to my productivity combined with low pay requirements. But even I’ve been able to increase my output. You can never have enough Brownie Points built up, because they attitude which used to be “we can replace you with a button” has now been replaced with “we can replace you with someone cheaper”. So, on behalf of all bankers and CEO’s out there that are under increasing pressure to pay off the swimming pool at the vacation home or buy another semester at an Ivy League school ( they have to keep the wife happy-imagine what their alimony payments would look like ), please work harder and work faster.
*
My weekend started out pretty normal. Cloudy and cold. It never seems to fail that all winter long my days off are usually miserable. But, no worries. Free coffee awaits at the Laundromat. Then, after we got home I got food poisoning and the day turned to hell. I don’t think I’ve been as sick since self induced alcohol poisoning decades ago. But, all of that is a mere footnote. A mere triviality. Because what did I see in Wal-Mart? A new preparedness section! Wal-Mart wheat is here!!! Wal-Mart wheat is here!!! Wal-Mart, which has gone to great lengths to hack me off over the last six months or so with cost increases, has partially redeemed itself by selling buckets of wheat. Oh, I’ve never stopped shopping there. Some items such as dry beans and vitamin C are no where near as cheap anywhere else. What made me so darn mad is that they were no longer the one stop shopping experience I had come to expect. I can buy eighty eight cent generic Saltines at Smiths, where Wal-Mart is $1.19. They are no longer the low price leader. They are in fact the Screw Jim Leader ( well, third place after the government and wife #2 ). Now I have to shop at nearly a half dozen places to keep all of my food prices low.
*
Let’s do the math. A super pail of wheat is $21. 45 pounds in a six gallon bucket. Fifty pounds of wheat at the feed store in my area is $15, and I doubt if I could find the bucket that cheap. Wal-Mart paint buckets are $6 for the five gallon size with lid. So it is actually cheaper to buy the wheat at Wal-Mart than put it together myself. Okay, there is no Mylar bag inside. But I’m sure the thing was put together under controlled conditions. I can’t see it being infested. And the wheat will be much cleaner than the feed store wheat, even if that is only a cosmetic concern. Now, let’s say I found used buckets for a buck and bought a new lid for it. Thirty cents a pound for the wheat, three buckets per hundred pounds ( assuming you found five gallon rather than six ). So thirty six cents a pound, or $16.20 for the same amount as the Wal-Mart pail. Now it is no longer a great deal. But if you can’t find used buckets, or there is not a feed store in a reasonable driving distance, then going with the Wally World wheat is a blessing. Certainly it is cheaper than buying through the mail. If you are comparing the cost of buying at, say, Walton, keep in mind the above cost. 36 cents a pound with used buckets and feed store wheat. 47 cents a pound at Wal-Mart.
*
While I am happy, and I did buy a bucket even though it played havoc with my dollar store budget ( which is okay, last week I got three large tubes of generic Shoe Goo for a buck each so skipping this week was tolerable ), it is still a shame considering the same wheat ten years ago. One third the price. Feed store wheat was $5 a sack ( and that was at the only one around for fifty miles and certainly overpriced ). And buckets were going begging for a buyer, there was so much slop going out of so many food joints. Of course, oil was a lot cheaper then, too. Wheat prices have consistently gone up the last ten years. As has everything else. Do not wait. Buy yours now. It will only get more expensive. And the same, more than likely, with ammunition. I think it has been long enough that we can’t just blame politics or production bottlenecks. At the price it is now commanding, any capacity lying idle should have already gone into increasing the supply. I think it is a permanent supply problem of its components. Or, just keep thinking happy thoughts and put off buying your preps. Let’s see how far that gets you.
END

guest article

GUEST ARTICLE
Hello again, I've taken Jim up on his generous offer to publish another guest article from me! This was a "food for thought" post I published this week over at my website…

www.preppernation.com

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I digress, I wanted to share a story about my Aunt Jane with you today.

Aunt Jane is in her early sixties now and has been a widow for the last couple of years. She and Uncle Joe had been married for just shy of 40 years when he died of a heart attack suddenly. This was a shock but Aunt Jane always says she’s glad he didn’t suffer.

Aunt Jane had always been a stay at home mother and had never worked outside the home. Wait, I take that back she did do some part time work early in their marriage but nothing really to speak of! Her and Uncle Joe had lived in the same home on the outer edges of a small town, population 7-8000, for almost their entire married life. The house was a smaller 3 bedroom, 1 bath rambler with a detached garage out back. It sits on an acre of land. She still has her own well and septic system, even though the town has always intended to bring public utilities down her street, it hasn’t happen yet.

When Uncle Joe died, he left Aunt Jane a small life insurance policy. She explained to me that they had the home nearly paid off, I think she said less than 5 years to go on the mortgage. It was always their plan to have it paid before Uncle Joe retired… He never made it but he still took care of that for his widow. Aunt Jane used the insurance money to clear the mortgage note and make a few repairs that they had put off the last couple years, new roof, some fencing, etc. She said she still has a small nest egg, not much mind you but a little put away, just in case.

It was kind of expected in the family that Aunt Jane would need to go find a job somewhere to make ends meet, now that Uncle Joe was gone. She surprised everyone by continuing on much as if he was still around. She never lived in a showy way at all anyway but there is still things that have to be provided for, right?

Uncle Joe and Aunt Jane had a pretty large flower and vegetable garden, also some fruit trees here and there on the property. They had always had a flock of chickens running around the yard over the years as well, still do! We all knew she canned alot of her produce and spend a lot of time at the local farmers market on the weekends when it was open, which is about 8 months of the year in that town.

After her two children were grown and gone, it was kind of assumed that she had her booth at the market as a social outlet and hobby. I guess it was those things primarily but she had a clientele for her extra vegetables and eggs. She was handy with a needle too, she would sew items over the winter and then put them out at her stand during the months the market was open.

As I was pondering the way Aunt Jane was living and how some family members seemed to believe she was on the rim edge of poverty, I decided to take a drive over to see what she was up to…

This was over a month ago and the weather was still a bit warmer. I found her outside working on the small patch of green she still had cultivated in her garden area. When I arrived, I noticed the house looked like it was in good repair. I saw her chicken coop was still standing over in the corner beside the garage where I had remembered it always being located, chickens coming and going around the yard as if on their own schedule of activities.

She greeted me and we went inside the house to have that talk I had called about. The home was as warm and inviting as ever. Just about how I’m sure you can all imagine it being for yourselves, pictures of the family, grand kids, that sort of thing. The place seemed alot quieter than it used to but then again its just her there now. She poured us coffee and we got comfortable.

I started by asking how she was getting along without Uncle Joe and got the standard as good as can be expected, still miss him, that sort of thing. After just a few minutes I got down to business.

I started by asking her how she’s able to make ends meet without having a job? Did Uncle Joe leave her a pension that nobody knew about? It felt kind of funny to ask such personal financial questions but there was a bit of curiosity in the family. I should say a bit of concern, she is well loved and her children never really let on much on these details either…

She began by saying that she doesn’t really need much, you know, kind of humble. She explained that she has her garden and chickens, so she always has plenty to eat. I could see she wasn’t going to just give up her information. We have good OPSEC, in our family! I pushed her a little more and asked how she could afford to keep the lights on and gas in the car, that sort of expense is ongoing and can’t come from the garden out back?

As it turns out she is able to qualify for Uncle Joe’s social security now but is choosing to wait until she’s 65 to get a bigger monthly check. She explained that she doesn’t even need that money and can survive without it so it made sense to just wait a few more years. How can this be, I asked. She further explained that the only assistance she is on is for a medical program she qualified for when she turned 62. She said that she has a $100 payment each month for something to do with this but other than that she is on her own.

This sounded to good to be true? She went on to remind me about the apartment she rents out… Wait, what apartment? She explained that she and Uncle Joe had converted the detached garage to a “Mother-in-law” apartment years ago when they thought his mother would need to come and stay with them in her later years. They had never ended up using it for the intended purpose but it was there waiting, just in case! She said that the son of a friend from church had been renting it since shortly after Uncle Joe died. She said it just worked out fine, he pays her cash on the first of each month and is a quiet man. Uses the place as mostly just a place to sleep.

I asked her how much rent she is able to get? She explained that she started asking for $350 a month and that included the electric. They had upped the amount to $400 last year and both parties are content with the arrangement! Sounds like a good situation but that isn’t enough to pay the bills? She said she has her market stand that brings in some money too! Oh, alright, now the truth comes out – she must be a shrewd business woman… How much do you bring in at the stand, I asked? I waited as she went through some silent thought process in her head… She finally says that she can usually clear a $110-120 a weekend when the market is open!

This caught me off guard and I tried to quickly tally up what the number I had just heard meant in dollars and cents. $400 a month for the apartment came to $4800 a year. The market stand at $110 x 4 weeks a month, 8 months a year. his came to $3520 a year, staying on her low estimated figure. This only comes to $8320 annually, not exactly a living wage! I asked again if there is anything else she can count on for income, are your kids helping you? She said that she didn’t need any help and puts money in savings every month in case her kids need help from her! Whoops, I apologized for any offense.

It got quiet for a minute and then she said she watches dogs on occasion as well. Dogs, I said, what dogs? She explained that years ago her and Uncle Joe had a couple of dogs themselves and always enjoyed them. Word got around at church and from time to time friends would ask if they could watch their dogs over a weekend. They had that big fenced yard and all. She doesn’t remember how they had arrived at $10 dollars a day but it was half of what a local kennel charged and they didn’t mind the extra playmates around for their dogs to play with. It kinda became a habit and she still has 2 dogs that come from time to time. I asked what she might get on a regular basis from that? She thought may be 2-3 times in a month, so $30 bucks a month…

Now, we were getting somewhere, that added an extra… $360 per year. She claims that that’s it, nothing else but she’s doing just fine. Check my numbers if you want but that means she has only an annual income of $8680.00! I tried to convince her that there was no way a person could live on so little income!

She got out her checkbook and went through the columns for me to see if there was something she missed.

She read me these numbers -

$100 – power company, she has this cost averaged by the utility company

$100 – medical insurance payment, medicare/medicaid, I didn’t get it?

$67.50 – property tax, I helped her figure this out from her county statement

$33 – Insurance for the house

$39 – Auto insurance, I confirmed that this is only liability coverage

$81 – telephone, cable TV and internet package

$50 – gas for the car, we looked at 3 months worth of checks and averaged it…

$160 – grocery store, she said that $40 bucks a week is typical, it checked out…


She went through it a couple of times and said that there is the out of the ordinary cost from time to time but this is what she typically pays. She was quite proud of the fact she was able to have about a hundred dollars left at the end of the month as well! I’m proud of her too! I asked her if she had to pay any income taxes? She said that her friend the CPA had told her that the standard deduction was high enough and her income low enough that she didn’t need to pay any. OK with me!

I asked her what she was doing differently now that Uncle Joe was gone? She said that they didn’t really do it much different before but they put alot of money into paying off the mortgage whenever they could. She said that they would usually take a trip once a year but she hasn’t gone much of anyplace since she’s been on her own. Uncle Joe didn’t make a real large salary, worked for a small local company and didn’t have a pension. They had decided that they would have the house paid off and then they could both work on their projects and maybe he’d work some little part time job to help out after he retired.

She said that she spends as much time with the grand kids as she can but they’re getting older now too and not as interested in hanging out with granny, like they did when they were younger. Her children and their families both live in a larger town about 30 minutes away. She said that she sees one or the other of them almost weekly. As much as she misses Uncle Joe, she doesn’t feel alone. She has friends from town that she has know for nearly a lifetime and is active at her church still as well! I was repeatedly warned that I didn’t need to be worried about her!

I explained to her a little about the families concerns and how they were apparently unfounded, she was doing better than a few folks I could think of that had 2 paychecks coming in! I got her permission to talk about what she and I had disclosed… “It’s not exactly a secret”, she told me. I thanked her and got myself back on the road to home.

Over the next couple of weeks I pondered these figures often. $8680 annual income. Almost unbelievable, but it was all there to be examined. A woman in her 60’s, homeowner, living on her own and no paycheck? She has income from a couple of creative outlets and a small nest egg in the bank, with more going in slowly each month. Not bad, not bad at all! She said that she would take the social security check and it would be nice to see more money being put away for a rainy day but she could make it without any help! I have to agree…

Could any of us do this? What’s her secret? Is this possible because she’s a widow or an older woman? Is society going easy on her because she’s a little simple minded? I don’t think so, the family was even concerned that she might not be eating enough. She eats better food than the rest of us, she grows alot of it and has fresh eggs from her back yard. Her days are filled with activities that she enjoys and she still chooses what she wants to do each morning.

Is her standard of living lacking in some area I missed? Her house is older but not that old, I think it was built in the 50’s… Is she dressed in rags and living in her own filth? Hardly, she looked just like any other older woman that you might see working in her yard. So, what did it take for her to achieve this magic feat of living far below the poverty line?

Well, lets see, she owns her house free and clear! She’s creative and has productive hobbies! You did catch that she needs to make a whopping $110 dollar profit each weekend, 8 months out of the year. I bet anyone of you or I could find a way to come up with that same $110 per week. Maybe not at the farmers market but somehow… That’s only $3520 a year. Oh yeah, the shrewd old gal has that rental property, see she is way ahead of the rest of us now that we consider her real estate investment portfolio! Right, a 2 car detached garage converted over to a small apartment. Yeah, if you didn’t have that you would have to find some other creative way to come up with the $4800 in rent she collects…

Hello, anyone see what I’m getting at here. My “Poor” old Aunt Jane! So poor she lives better than many who work at jobs they hate 40 hours a week. Let’s not rock the boat and try to get our house paid off, just keep shoving the extra money into the company 401K and someday, unless we die first, we might be able to retire and do the same things “Poor” Aunt Jane gets to do everyday on that homestead she has!

Yep, that’s right this is another one of those thought exercises that I want you to mull over this week and see what your brain spits back out at ya! I bet you think of my ”Poor” Aunt Jane this week when your sitting in traffic waiting to get home from that job you work to keep the payments current on the new house, new cars and vacation fund full of dreams. You are going to take the family to Hawaii this year on your 2 week reprieve from reality, right.

All I ask is that you think it over and see who’s situation could best be described as “Poor”, I doubt you come to the conclusion that it’s my Aunt Jane’s!


Prepper

guest article

GUEST ARTICLE

CORPORATE COMBAT

Recently on bisonsurvivalblog there’ve been articles about being ready for combat, keeping shit heaps so you can have raw materials for ammo, having soldiers so you can steal resources, et aggressing cetera. Well, for now, I’m still living in my shit heap, and with luck we’re at least a few years away from needing to blow away the neighbors because there’s some resource imbalance to be exploited.

But what is in front of us in the immediate term is Corporate Combat. I work at a small company, getting smaller all the time too. Who’s going to make the next cut, and who isn’t? Time to consider Corporate Combat. This does not mean going postal, or sabotaging your co-worker’s TPS reports. There are still enough resources that we can afford some decency towards our workmates. At some companies, seniority rules, if it is your turn, it is your turn. Where that’s not the case though, you have some room to maneuver.

Look around you – if there’s a 10% reduction, or 20%, is it clear who goes and who stays? Do you occasionally bring in bagels and cream cheese for breakfast? Is your ass-kissing subtle, sincere, effective? Are you generally seen as a good guy, you can keep a secret, offer sympathy, talk about the latest episode of Survivor and such? During your tenure, did you pick up a few new skills and responsibilities? Did you learn to do somebody else’s job? This has two benefits, good for the ole resume, and, of immediate importance, makes you harder to replace. When extra hours are needed, or shit work is required, if you’re not smiling and nodding, you are edging that much closer to the chopping block. If there’s a decision to be made by the bosses, make it brain dead simple, YOU are the keeper.

If you are in a job rut, and you think some time unencumbered by employment responsibilities would be healthful, think again. Now is not the time to shout, “Take this job and shove it!” You won’t be getting unemployment benefits for that bit of breathtaking honesty, and have you seen the numbers on long-term unemployment? Now is the time to lay low, prep like a sonofabitch, and do your work well. Know that your time is coming, and do what you can to stave it off. I am all for Rage Against The Machine, but for pete’s sake, make sure your ducks are in a row. When the 20% cut becomes a 90% cut, then you can leave your company happy – you got everything you could out of them (without stealing the sugar and creamer), you leave from a position of strength, and you’re ready to settle in for a long spell of government subsidies. With any luck, by that time, unemployment benefits won’t have an expiration date.

And there’s another side to Corporate Combat, but I don’t have so much practice with this one. It is, Getting Them To Hire You. Lots of books on this, if you’re unemployed, by now you know it is a jungle out there, people lie on their resumes, suggestively wink at the hiring manager, all gung ho for Doing What It Takes! My enthusiasm for this is low, as I’ve done pretty well with the, “I am a good value, not cheap, this is what you’ll get, you decide.” I have no finesse, and so far it has worked. As times toughen further, maybe not the best strategy.

Employed or unemployed, evaluate your situation and realize, it is Corporate Combat time.

Pamplemousse,
Guest Author

all in denial

ALL IN DENIAL
Before we start today’s usual waste of time, a thank you to Rawles at www.survivalblog.com for mentioning my site. I’m not positive of his daily readers, so let’s call it 30,000. If one percent, or 300, click on over and of that number one percent aren’t offended or shocked that some problems can actually be solved with almost no money, I’ve just gained another three loyal minions! I’ll go from 1,200 to 1,203! Be jealous, Creekmore ( we’ll forget for a second that he has more readers than me anyway ). The only problem with it was that I don’t think I ever quoted the book he credited me with. Oh, well. My gain.
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You simply must earmark http://americanenergycrisis.blogspot.com/ as another daily read. This is the guy that keeps me up to date on oil import declines ( he also covers other good stuff ). Of course, he is WAYYYYYY overly optimistic, continually telling us not to panic, all is well, we will adjust to oil declines peacefully ( ignoring that we are all stuck in the suburbs without fuel looking at infertile soil and no way to pump water, I guess it could all work out without a die-off ). He would include me in the Doomers he scoffs at. I would counter that most doomers are pussies and are themselves way too optimistic. I still love his site. And he has promised that over the next few weeks to cover whether oil declines are permanent or not. Important stuff. I bring this up as an important heads up, but also to get to today’s article. We are all in denial, every single one of us. Including myself. As I have said before, if I were as panicked as I sound, I would not be living several miles out of town and working everyday. I would find the most inaccessible lot of land I could find and come into town once a month. But I worry about being in jail during the collapse, so I keep paying Satan’s Little Helper her blood money. So I am in a form of denial, hoping that things stay together for just a few more years.
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In the meantime, I’m paying on land too close to town. Yes, I tell myself it is just paying rent so I can live cheaply closer to work. It isn’t actually an investment. But, in my more honest moments, I wonder if I’ll really leave once I no longer need a full time job. It may sound like I live primitively, yet I worry I’m still too attached to some creature comforts. Like refrigerated meats or cell phone service or Internet connections. Lucky for you, because if I was truly out in the boonies I wouldn’t have a way to share my large gleaming nuggets of wisdom with you. I make under a hundred bucks a month for these efforts, and I think the satellite connection is around $60. No way is that worth it. I can’t complain, most of my minions are really generous. For the amount of readers I have, what I make is great. But not enough to pay too much in connection fees. So, in order to pay child support and to write my way out of a mental breakdown ( these ranting are somewhat therapeutic ) I deny the end is as close as it could be. The only thing I have done with my preparations is increase my odds of surviving marginally. Not enough, because I am convinced that a die-off is in the works. Oil decreases mean the Green Revolution will die. Which will take down all our surplus population. And there isn’t enough fertile soil left to feed even a fraction of those mouths organically. Those chronicling the oil declines forget how much more food petroleum allows us to grow. Well, they are in denial also.
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You live in the city? Shop at the supermarket? Have a mortgage? Need a good paying job? In denial. All of it is going to end. If you are looking at history to prop up your soft landing theory, you need to stop going back at about the start of the Gunpowder Revolution. Before that, surplus population died off on a regular basis ( after that, colonialism allowed the west a surplus ). And the last huge die-off was the Roman Empire ( talking about soil infertility and energy declines, not about disease in and of itself ). The problem was that the die off was so complete and social break down so vast, little to no records survive to convince us of this. Leaving plenty of room for denial. I’m not pointing fingers and chastising you, because I’m only marginally less guilty. We almost are forced into denial if we have any hope of functioning in the money economy. Which is the only way we are allowed to live. I’ll try to come up with some strategies to soften this dependency. We’ll see.
END

selfish bastards

SELFISH BASTARDS
Every pertinent article comments contains some form or another of the statement that people are selfish bastards. Yet, we keep getting statements such as it is advantageous to trade, or it is immoral to attack first or something similar. If people are indeedily doodily bastard coated bastards with creamy bastard filling ( not mine-stolen from TV’s “Scrubs” ) than it follows that they won’t always do the right thing. They won’t always trade instead of attack. They won’t always stay on the defensive. They won’t always refrain from eating each other during famines. When I bring these things up, half of you turn your head in shame, dramatically place the back of your hand to your forehead and declare that you are suffering from an attack of the vapors. Stop being a pussy, Nancy. These are the realities of life outside of the Oil Age. I grant you that more often than not, trade rather than war is the norm. And I grant you that 99% of the time cannibalism is not practiced. And not everyone engages in preemptive strikes to steal a potential enemies resources before being attacked themselves. But the only reason for that is that bad behavior is not beneficial at the time.
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Everyone constantly performs cost benefit analysis before making any decision. If they are rewarded by good behavior, they will act as good as gold. If they can be rewarded for bad behavior, that is what they will do. Even acting properly without immediate feedback is subject to this. Either they want to get into heaven or karma will reward them for good behavior. Even the non-religious act as if their behavior will be paid back in kind. I don’t argue that good behavior isn’t the desired state of affairs. I’m saying that human nature will always prevail and we are a selfish bunch. And why not? It is a survival mechanism, programmed into our DNA. When the individual is rewarded by sacrificing for the group, that is why it happens. Not because they care for others in the group but because they care for themselves. Even good behavior for family is outside our control. We act by instinct, not moral superiority. And don’t think I’m being nihilistic. I’m being paranoid and negative, but realistic. We gladly bury our face in the popcorn bowl as we watch grizzlies or tigers catch their prey and start tearing them apart as they are still alive and suffering. The predators have no other need than survival. And despite the superiority attitude we bring about ourselves, we are still naked apes. We act on survival. Morality is how we justify sacrificing for the common good, but it is also how we justify normally bad behavior ( smiting the godless heathen, pacifying the lesser races, bringing democracy to the Muslim fanatics, saving others from their own leader, bringing capitalism to the communists, etc. )
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Are we being totally blind by our upbringing? Are we ignorant enough that we can’t see past the propaganda? A lot of man years go into programming us to act according to the groups interest. Again, it is a survival mechanism. The group keeps us alive. But we also have to acknowledge those in the group who benefit for themselves. Is it imperative that males are bribed and/or forced to support their offspring. Of course. Do plenty of females take advantage of that and break up the family for financial gain? Of course. Does support of the geriatrics benefit the whole group? Of course. They teach wisdom and storehouse knowledge. Free babysitters and teachers, and they don’t eat much. Has a huge pampered class of welfare recipients used this historic necessity to live their last years by golf courses in Florida? Of course. Does trade benefit everyone, increasing luxury and being a support mechanism for localized disaster? Sure. Do tribes go to war anyway when they think they can steal more than trade will bring? Duh.
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We have to act like we all want to get along. Trade and peace benefit us. But we always have to prepare for being turned on. As soon as it benefits your former friend, they will become your enemy. This is simply common sense, and it is a shame that our pampered lifestyles have blinded us to it. Of course we’ve been able to ( mostly ) live peacefully together. We’ve had a surplus of resources. Had. Past tense. Even if nine times out of ten trade rather than war prevails, you had better be ready for war. That ten percent will bite you in the ass.
END

takes money to make money

TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY
First off, I want you all to mark your calendars, cancel all family nights or after school activities, and write a note on your forehead backwards so you can see it in the morning in the mirror. This weekend is our Super Duper Loyal Minion Appreciation Event where you get not one but two guest articles. You can tune in both Saturday and Sunday and get your Bison fix. We have one minion advertising his blog, which is fine with me as long as I get some guest article action out of it. And then we have our faithful eastern correspondent that can’t be outdone by a newcomer. Don’t get all uppity on me and expect this every week, but for now it is a nice treat. Thank you, guest writers. You’re helping a brother out. And as an aside, if I don’t always answer your mail or take forever responding, please be understanding. I’m busier than a one legged ass kicker, even with my slightly reduced article lengths, and just can’t seem to keep up.
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We all know that it takes money to make money. In a sense this isn’t completely true as far as government welfare, perhaps the occasional inheritance, but 99% of the time it is a hard and fast rule. So, this being something we can all relate to, it should quite easy to translate this over to the size of government. It takes a surplus of resources to get more resources. Look at the general state of affairs as far as colonialism is concerned. The European states that had the resources to invest were able to conquer foreign lands and exploit the resources to further their growth and conquest. Without a surplus in the first place, they were unable to score more resources. This is really all there is to it. No extra to invest, no returns are possible. Look at England and France. In an agrarian economy, France always had an advantage and rose in the ranks of nations. England had a smaller base and was limited. Alas, in an accident of history, England had the coal whereas France had a lot less. From that point on that we entered the carbon fuel economy, England was able to parlay its energy surplus into foreign energy acquisition. It began to falter once coal was replaced by oil. Those countries that had the oil, namely the US and the Soviets, began to exploit other countries resources. Even those countries with oil ( middle east, South America ) were conquered, as America entered the race first and fueled its military so that a later oil surplus yielded no advantage. The Cold War between America and Russia was more an Oil Titan clash than a political contest.
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Now, let’s enter a period of energy scarcity. Industrialism dies from lack of fuel and we will transition back to an agrarian economy. Metal will not be as scarce as it was historically due to our above ground mining ability ( use the scrap of the Oil Age ) but we won’t have the energy to fuel mass production. If you can’t produce nitrates on an industrial scale you can’t conduct warfare on an industrial scale. You can’t farm on an industrial scale either, which hampers your ability to grow more soldiers. Industrial war was mining resources to conquer more resources, just as in all conflicts through history, but on an unseen scale because of the carbon fuels. When nations or groups go to war to steal more resources, they use up all their surplus in the fight. They are betting all or nothing. They win, they defeat and kill the enemy and gain extra resources. They lose, mostly they starve and die due to using their capital as well as their interest ( to use the financial metaphor again ). Without carbon fuels, warfare will shrink back down to agrarian economy levels. Without extra population fed by petroleum, battles will be far smaller.
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On a tribal scale, the farmers or the herders double as fighters. Once you get above that scale to a larger plot of land, you need to have a surplus of warriors to assist nearby settlements. If a group of herders are grazing over wide areas, they can defend large areas. The young and aged can look after animals for a short time while they fight. Plus, they are mobile by nature. Their transport lives off foraging. In a farm community, everyone is tied to the land. After the planting or harvest, you can free up the men for fighting, but that then leaves the community wide open to attack. Without the surplus crops to support a permanent caste of fighters, you can’t fight as needed outside the community. Say you envision a county or state as a nation. Town A is twenty miles from town B. A and B can defend their own towns. But when one is attacked, the other can’t respond quick enough to help defend them. Not unless a dedicated military is patrolling or engaged in offensive attacks to keep enemies away. This is where your trouble lies. If you don’t have the surplus resources, you can’t defend larger areas or attack prior to trouble. An invading army picks you off one by one.
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Why do you think the Dark Ages had such small political units? Why were they defensive in nature? It wasn’t just the introduction of gunpowder that brought down the defensive castle. It was the surplus of energy which allowed an industry built around gunpowder to emerge. The knowledge of powder wasn’t enough, you needed the investment in excess nitrates and metal production. Without surplus, the “tribe” stayed local and never expanded. They couldn’t project power out. When surpluses came about ( most likely from the exhausted soils recovering ), then the offense was born again. If you can’t feed an army, or equip them from surplus, you don’t grow past local. You need all your meager resources just for local defense ( and sometimes that wasn’t enough if your neighbor had just a bit more than you did ). Consider this carefully. The one with more resources will usually win. Use the leftovers from the Oil Age carefully, because once they are gone our polluted and depleted soil can only support a limited number of people. And more than likely, there will be no surplus.
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golden thoughts

GOLDEN THOUGHTS
Of course, all thoughts that emanate from my keyboard are golden, it goes without saying, but today’s gold thoughts are on the precious metal. Yes, I’m still raring to go on the devolution of the size of government. But still need a few spare seconds to devote some thought to it. Some articles I can write with one half of my brain tied behind my back, others I need to think about for awhile to connect the dots. Some just pop in to being in a Eureka! moment and others are like giving birth. I did notice that my e-book sales were up about 50% last month. I don’t know if this was my loyal minions feeling all generous in the holiday spirit or a few more paper book sales from Amazon ( the Frugal Survivalist book ). I’ll have to look into that. If it was you, thanks.
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It is never a coincidence when the mainstream press publishes something. It isn’t just the need to fill pages ( or minutes ). It might have been a political con job once upon a time, but that was long before the mega-corporations ran the business into the ground and have since turned to info-tainment to save money ( why have a foreign correspondent overseas when you can run a story about last nights American Idol? ). Now, you have the banks pulling the strings of the government and the government with its hand up the wazoo of big business. It’s kind of a sex train, but some “members” are bigger than others ( yuk,yuk! ). It’s not a central run conspiracy, but certainly there are a lot of backroom deals, back scratching and favors being done. You are on the verge of bankruptcy, and you know you need a loan soon, so how hard is it to print the articles favorable to the banking interests? But let’s not get too side tracked on motivations. My point is that when you see some smoke, look for the fire. Gold prices shoot up, and suddenly there is an article on gold production stagnating. Look, they seem to be saying, the dollar is still wonderful. Gold is only going up because of shortages.
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It simply makes sense that if gold production is down, prices will rise. Supply and demand. But, while decreased production will slow the flow of new gold being introduced, it will only marginally affect the total supply of gold and its price. I forget the exact numbers, but new gold being mined only adds a percent or two a year. If that is cut in half, it only affects prices to a small degree. On the other hand, if everyone knows the US Dollar blows farm animals, the price of gold goes up ten percent in a week or two. Here are the numbers. In 1950, for every ton of ore processed, there was 12 grams of gold produced. Today, even with increased technological innovations, the yield is 3 grams. The only reason more mines aren’t closed is that the cost of production is falling. Which speaks volumes for the employees of mines in the future. Your job is not secure. You might be Union now, in the future the excuse to cut your wages and bennies will be the increased costs of energy, equipment and loans. Enjoy it while you can. South African production has halved since 1970. Yes, some is electrical juice availability being problematic and some politics/taxes and whatnot. But I think the area is simply playing out. Everyone seems surprised when mined resources disappear. What!!! You mean I have to replenish the soil? You mean the oil doesn’t last forever? You can’t kill the Golden Goose?
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Okay, production of gold peaked in 2000. Future costs of production will soar as oil goes up. But that is all a very small side dish for the main course. Which is, the dollar is being inflated ( perhaps never hyper-inflated, although American history is full of examples where the locals inflated at hundreds of percent in just a few years, but 6-16% a year will get you in trouble pretty darn quick ) as well as being dethroned as the global currency. No, I don’t think any other currency will replace it as the end of the Oil Age will upset all paradigms, be they Empires, supreme currencies, Industrialism, etc. The propaganda trying to blame production declines for the huge increase in gold prices is just another bit of smoke pointing to the fire of the coming of PODA ( Peak Oil Dark Ages ). Who cares about 2012 ( I refuse to pay good money on the movie, as it looks like another “government will save us” disaster movie- I’ll reevaluate when it’s a buck at Redbox )? Worry about oil imports being down 25% and airborne barnyard flu in Eastern Europe. And watch gold shoot up as the dollar destructs. It isn’t too important in the great scheme of things, but it is amusing to view.
END

sense of community

SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Before we get going today ( Happy Monday!! ), let me direct you to a new blog http://www.mukwahspeaks.com/ . It’s a bit early to tell the direction of this blog, although his introduction pretty much speaks for itself. As far as how often and what the bulk of the subjects will be, I don’t know. But it seems very well written. If he starts to sound better than Bison, please erase any mention of it. Now, I wanted to write on the direction of political units in the near future. The collapse of the welfare state is of course a given, but I would like to talk about the size of the future political units. Some feel my small tribe scenario is incorrect and we might still see county or state sizes. I’ll be addressing that. But I didn’t have any down time today to think on the article much, so I’ll save it for another day. Right now you get an easy one, why survivalists have no sense of community and why we are paranoid loner nut jobs cowering in fear in our garage turned bunker, stroking the plastic stock of our semi auto poodle shooters, muttering for the bad men to please go away.
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Normally I would go off in three different directions until I got to the end of the page and then finally get to the point, but I’m feeling bad for you today and I’ll just get right to it. We have no sense of community, no desire to form groups of like minded individuals locally, because we know those bastards are out to get us. You get all your buddies together, everyone oohs and aahs about how quickly the country is going to hell in a handbasket on a rocketship, and everyone solemnly pinky promises on their mothers graves to immediately stock up on the agreed upon supplies and then not a Gott darn one of them does anything except makes the payment on their wives boob jobs so she can go on boffing the pool boy and won’t leave the husband so he has to pay fifty percent of his after tax income supporting her and the rug rats that look suspiciously like the milk man if not in fact said pool boy. Oh, they might mean well and solemnly proclaim to the Gods that they will absolutely positively follow through on things. But despite the macho proclamations of the average American male, they are buttcrack deep in the control of the wife. If she popped out any spawn, she has absolute control for eighteen years. And 99.999% of wives will have nothing to do with preparing for the future. I could count the number of female Bison readers on one hand, I’m sure.
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So, unless you are a complete and utter moron, you realize these things. You know that regardless of the threats coming down the road, the fear of losing 75% of the paycheck will keep the majority of males passive. They would rather sign over their testicles and paychecks and at least get invited into the circle of comfort they bought. They will be perched on the edge, just getting the table scrapes as it were. But at least they won’t be living in a camper cab-over trailer sitting precariously atop cinder blocks, riding a garage sale used K-Mart mountain bike to work, having to pick up crack whores at 2 a.m. because no other female would have anything to do with their dead broke ass. He might earn $50 k a year and have to beg for his lunch allowance, and he might only get laid once a month, but at least he can still enjoy the central air in the house. The quite simple logic is that by reaching out to others, you invite them into your stockpile come crash time.
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“Oh, bro, I love you , man. I had been meaning to buy my share of supplies, but the bitch wouldn’t let me. I hope you can spare another ten thousand calories a day for us. I’ll do my duty on the guard post, and the wife can…ahh…I’m sure she can do something.” Now, try saying no. The wife will insist that the husband try to take your supplies by force. The same wife that wouldn’t consent to a few percent of income for the basic supplies. I think we all know that anyone you try to band with will become a parasite. A few of us are lucky and know like minded and prepared friends or family. But the bulk are surrounded by entitlement mentality, armed, hostile idiots. Of course we aren’t going to “reach out”. What a bunch of New Age crap. We can’t all just get along.
END

guest article

GUEST ARTICLE

I wanted to take Jim up on his offer to accept guest articles. I posted it a couple of days ago on my Blog - preppernation.com, I had a lot of good feedback and thought all of you over here would want to consider this topic as well! Let me know what you think, you too Jim… prepper@preppernation.com
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REVOLUTION ANYONE?
Just a few thoughts on what was going through my mind this last weekend. I came to a few conclusions but also more questions. I want to offer these thoughts for your consideration!
I'm not sure but we may see some inflation in the near future? Inflation, what inflation? I thought the recession was over and we were firmly into the jobless recovery stage of this new and exciting time in the American saga!
Pardon me folks but we have an out of control government that is printing money and handing it out to big business as if it were theirs to give. They have the audacity to act as though they've been doing all of us a favor by lowering themselves to the level of the common man. Stepping into our world for the moment to bestow on us their wisdom and impart a gift of kindness in our time of financial need.
Here peasant, buy a car and we'll give you a break... Already have a car, Hmm? Well then little person, buy a home (put our noose around your neck) and we'll take a few tax dollars off your bill at the end of the year. Reminds me of a mafia movie I saw in the 80's... You probably saw it too! The kingpin was the hero of the same community he was preying on by handing out free TV's at Christmas.
We need to get rid of all these clowns, (R) or (D) in the RED states and the Blue! What should we do with people that willingly spend money they do not have, ruin the economy of both ours and our grandchildren's future. They give us nothing but attitude all the while. Don't forget the fact that we continuously warn them to watch their step, even have tea parties to punctuate the public sentiment!
I don't think they're hearing us. Do you? Its time we fall back on the only thing we have left or at least the only thing we'll have left when the debt, oops, I mean dust settles... AMERICAN INGUNITY! We all come from hardy stock, the pull yourself up by your bootstraps hard workers that actually built the country that is being hijacked by the fraud we are being spoon-fed before our eyes!
I advocate revolution, "WAIT", not the kind that we DOOMERS have all been wondering if we would see in our lifetimes. The revolution I'm referring to is much more subversive. It's a real battle, but not at the ballot box or with the cartridge box. It's a battle of the wills! The .gov at every level wills us to keep producing and spending at a predictably high level. I propose that we, you and I, will ourselves to revolt against this.
If we all were to spend and work just a little less, what would they (.gov) do? I'll tell you what they'll do, tax us all just a little bit less on our spending and earnings! If they have less tax dollars what will they have to do? Raise taxes or cut spending! You and I both know they haven't got the moral fortitude to cut spending, so that will leave them only one choice - RAISE TAXES... Believe it or not this will only strengthen our ranks. There are more than a few fence sitters in this fight. Pushed just a little further through government bungling or heavy handedness and we have additional revolutionaries ripe to join our revolution.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a lazy man! I do not advocate working less and spending the time loafing. I think that we could all find a few simple ways to do for ourselves what we have been paying someone else to do. I don't know what your things might be but if you think hard there must be a few places to trim. Maybe cut your own lawn or grow a few vegetables instead of buying them? Nothing that just one of us does will be of much effect on its own but a little from you and a little from me, who knows?
Think of it this way... I for one have, in the past, lived hand to mouth! There was little or none left at the end of the month. Nothing in savings and I was willing to work overtime just to relieve the financial strain. If I were to have a car breakdown or appliance give up the ghost, forget it!
This is the situation our government finds itself in now. With one exception, a very big exception, they are already out of money and spending on the credit card. As regular working class folks that is often what we would find ourselves doing too, if we had some bad luck. What comes after the credit card if the direction of our financial situation didn't change? Bankruptcy, right? That's my understanding, I personally have never had financial troubles of this magnitude but I have gotten to the credit card stage!
So, can we agree that the financial direction of this country has yet to turn around. Is there any reason to think it will any time soon? No? I guess the only thing left for the politicians to do is declare bankruptcy. That's what is suppose to come next - right? Hold up, they can avoid bankruptcy by printing money to stay in the game - and that's what they're doing now!
If the .gov is already printing money to stave off the inevitable, that increase in dollars circulating will effect us in the form of inflation. This means our dollars will be worth less. That's dollars saved in the bank or dollars we earn from our employers. Our buying power will be seriously undermined. This is terrible but also will fit right in with the revolution I suggest. If we start consuming a little less, then the dollars we do have will go a bit further! What if we start trading with each other for things we might need? Yes, yes I know it will not work as a stand-alone solution but consider what it might free up in actual dollars. If I trade you a spare backup generator I have and you need, for one of your dozens of handguns you squirreled away over the years, what have we done? For one thing, we have created a non-taxable event! In theory at least! Think craigslist...
Let's look at this example as an illustration of what I'm talking about. For simplicity sake, let's say that we each make $25 per hour and pay 20% income tax... Still with me? Also, let's agree that the two items being exchanged are also equally valued at $500 each... These figures alright with you? Good, me too! So what have we accomplished to further our revolution?

OK, I'll tell you... We have denied the various .gov's $369 of our money! Hard for you to believe that small transaction had a $369 tax consequence? It's true; we each would have to work 27.5 hours at $25.00 per hour to make enough money to PURCHASE this same item... At $25 per hour x 27.5 hours, you would have $685 bucks... I heard that! You were saying to yourself that the generator and the handgun had a value of $500 so what the heck am I going on about $685 for?? Well, $685 is what both you and I would have to earn to CLEAR $547.50 to purchase the item at the store and pay the required sales tax on the transaction.
$685, less the 20% income tax ($137 each party or $274 combined), leaves each of us with $547.50 to buy the item in question. Then we would pay the sales tax to the nice check out clerk, ($47.50 each again = $95). Adding these together, we combined would have had to pay $369 in taxes. Pretty good racket, for the .gov! First they tell us what we all should be wanting; i.e. big house, fancy automobile or whatever, then they have the privilege of taxing us on the item and the sweat we expend to earn the purchase money? Nobody is forcing us to buy anything we don't want but our society is saturated with suggestive marketing. Some of us are better at recognizing this for what it is than MANY of our brothers are!
Think about it, what's coming out of your paycheck now, in taxes? Are you working over time to buy the prep items that you KNOW your family needs? What about just the time you spend to earn enough to keep it all running smoothly? Is your time worth anything to you? We already know what its worth to the employer but what's it worth to you? Think about it!
I say we revolt! A very quiet, controlled, bloodless revolution with huge results! Who's with me? - Not interested? Not going to have an effect you say? I disagree, indulge me one more time!
If only 5 of these described transactions happen per month in each of the 50 states, what would the outcome be financially? Not much, you say? You would be WRONG! Let's do a little simple math, shall we? What's 5 times $369 - $1845 x 12 months = $22,140... Now Take the $22,140 x 50 states and what do you get??? I know what you get - $1,107,000. per year in taxes not paid into the system...
Does this all make sense? Over a million dollars annually in unpaid taxes with only 10 revolutionaries per state participating! Think that there might be 10 people in any given state that would take these few simple steps, I bet there would be many more! Possibly even thousands of people willing to vote with their dollars in a fashion like this or something similar! There would be no way to track this movement and no centrally controlled power center to be disrupted. Is it starting to make sense?
There's one more reward that I haven't totaled up for you yet... We said it would take 27.5 hours to EARN the money to complete the $500 transaction. Well, calculate that annually... 27.5 x 12 months = 330 hours. Now divide that 330 by 8 hour shifts at work and you have a savings of just over 2 months of work or 41.25 days off each year? I know this sounds crazy but we all could profit in previously unthought-of ways by making a relatively simple change in how we conduct some of our purchases!
Finally, I have to give a disclaimer... This information today was provided for a reason, to make you think and realize that all of our actions have a reaction. I propose that this is a true statement on many levels that most people have not even considered previously. This information is a theory only and I DO NOT suggest anyone break any law or attempt to evade any tax code or anything else! This is all only a thought exercise and one mans theory of what might be possible in a fictitious scenario!
Spend a few minutes pondering today's post and we can discuss it further in the future or better yet discuss it with your friends!

Prepper
prepper@preppernation.com

stored fat

STORED FAT
In regards to yesterday’s article, let us please keep one other thing in mind. If a certain activity has been continually practiced through the ages, it is stupid to think it doesn’t have a survival value. Slavery was always practiced until carbon fuels were put to use. Obviously, slavery produces an energy surplus. Warfare has always been with us. To think that we would be producing more through peaceful interaction ( perhaps singing “We Are The World” in a circle around the campfire after the days harvest ) is to ignore thousands of years of history. All you asparagus worshipers need to keep in mind that large scale organized warfare has been around since the beginning of the Agricultural Revolution. Herding societies are by necessity low scale warfare, due to the lack of a dedicated tool/manufacturing class. Grain surplus allows armies, kings and weapons makers to practice their brutal brand of conflict. So please don’t confuse your wishful thinking for reality.
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Rawles brought up stored fat today so I thought I would ride on his coattails again. Not only am I the preparedness communities gadfly, I always liberate any and all ideas like a scavenger carrion eater. When you are part of the mainstream, you attract a large parasitic hoard. They not only want something for nothing and their chicks for free, they also want to sue you and take all your money. Never mind that you spent years or decades losing money and working enough hours to qualify the hobby as a second job until you actually got paid for your effort. We encourage the victim mentality and everyone thinks they deserve other peoples treasure. So not only can you not say anything that will hack off your advertisers ( which is why I like Google ads- you don’t have to kiss anyone’s ass ) but you are also forced to only give the most inoffensive advice. Whatever you say, it can’t have the slightest change of doing any harm. So only canned or frozen fats are recommended. You are only allowed to keep fat for a year. You must treat all fat as if it is an evil demon waiting in the shadows to kill you after hours of projectile blood expulsions. Myself, I could give a crap less if you try to sue me. Well, I do care because it would be a big pain. But you can’t get diddly out of me so you would be wasting your time. Uncle Sam and the ex have squeezed every drop of blood out of this stone. And not only do I have nothing to offer, but at this point in my life I’m so friggin tired of the asshats of the world messing with me, I might just go postal on you. So, while I won’t give you any bad advice on purpose, I certain won’t pussyfoot around and be so cautious that I give you advice that is far more expensive than necessary.
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I treat all fats with the same caution that I do any stored food. More than likely, it will be good for years after its expiration date. I store lard, and it only has a one year life as stated on the bucket ( perhaps it’s a year and a half- whatever ). I feel confident it will last at least five years. I have used liquid oil three years after its expiration date and suffered no ill effects. Hell, I keep grease in the cast iron frying pan during summer days and days after use. Fry up some pork ( I cook everything except beef extra well done to the consistency of shoe leather ), leave the grease and fry something up in it the next night. Those two portions of grease left mix together, night after night. About once a week I fry up potatoes and then have to boil out the pan because they stick. No ill effects. I used to have a cast iron stomach, but in recent years I can’t handle as much pure fat as I used to. I used to be able to buy a pack of pork fat ( from the butcher trimming ) and eat a pound of it. Now, I have to strictly limit my fat to what I need to keep food from sticking in the pan. So if I don’t get ill eating out of a greasy pan with a more sensitive stomach, I think most folks could do the same.
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I asked our soup kitchen cook about stored fat. She has had a lot of experience with really old Y2K food being donated. Which, by the by, included freeze dried ham and margarine powder. The ham never resembled real meat in taste or texture. Guys living in tents during the winter with one meal a day wouldn’t eat the slop. The powder never reconstituted properly and had the same problem with taste. Anyway, as far as the oil went, she said that in her experience, spoiled oil has a very distinct smell that you can’t fail to miss. It is very apparent. I took that to mean that I shouldn’t worry too much about the oil. If it was bad, I’d know about it. Now, of course, never abandon common sense. If you don’t feel comfortable keeping lard five to ten years or liquid oil for five, don’t. If you have a more sensitive stomach than most, beware all of the above. But if you are a normal person with a decent temperature range storage area, I think you can safely say that the caution over stored oil is way overblown. For now, that’s all I got to say about that.
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conflict is natural

CONFLICT IS NATURAL
A brief detour before I get into the meat of today’s topic. There was a link at Yahoo, but then I saw it at http://tslrf.blogspot.com/ so I’m giving them credit. Despite their too optimistic view, I like the Three Amigo’s survival web site ( I use the term with a sense of fun, as I liked that movie ). And since they always quote me, I need to keep up their love. It isn’t enough to go back and reread my wisdom, I like it when I can go elsewhere and do the same. Speaking of which, if anyone has a web site and needs material, feel free to use any of my blog articles ( if it is in an e-book I’m selling, you can’t use it for obvious reasons ). You just need to give me full credit, provide the link, and let me know. Anyway, the above link was about the top ten states being in economic trouble. The fun fact I gleaned from it was that these ten ( including Nevada-we’re famous! ) account for a third of the nations population as well as its economy. If a third of your people are sucking wind, that might be a good indicator that there are absolutely no green shoots at all and we are all freaken headed for the stew pot. Sure, we’ll recover. As soon as oil imports recover the almost 25% they’ve dropped in three years. What? That will happen when monkeys fly out of my butt? But, that goes against my wishes and hopes and dreams! Jerk-offs.
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Okay, I simply must once again throw ice water on your delusions. It isn’t that I think I’m smarter than everyone, because I know at times that I really pull some idiotic moves. But I do devote a heck of a lot of time thinking about this stuff. As you are busy raising curtain climbers, enjoying real relationships with the spouse and working at a well paying job, I’m pretty much living in Post-Apocalypse Land. It isn’t as pleasant as a Happy Place, but it has to do right now. Asking why we can’t all just get along isn’t a stupid question, but it does show that you haven’t given a lot of thought to it. So, this is what you pay me for. Thinking about all the hard questions. The short answer is that it isn’t in human nature to get along with our fellow man in a resource scarce environment. You can’t escape it. You can minimize the impact, have less enemies per square mile. But it is impossible to escape. We have lived through multiple generations of energy surplus and to us it seems natural that the pie is big enough to share. For now we’ll ignore questions of colonial exploitation and elite control and just make the blanket statement that as far as we here in the First World are concerned, it has always been a pretty peaceful place most of the time.
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Humans might be evolved in their tool usage and communications skills, but we have never outgrown our reptile brains sense of self preservation. Mother Nature doesn’t do anything half assed, and species survival is present in all of us. As I continually tell you, tribe against tribe assures one tribe survives by taking from the other. If they didn’t, both tribes would die from lack of resources. Human aggression against other humans is natural and needed ( of course, I’m talking primarily of males. We have the 20% advantage of upper body strength, the mental outlook needed, and the hormones. Females in general are caregivers and nurturers, not fighters. This is the natural order of things, FemiNazi propaganda and teenage boy fantasy cartoons notwithstanding ). Some are not as aggressive. They are channeled into the worker bees that feed and equip the warriors. Not every male is naturally a warrior. This might have confused some to think that aggression is unneeded. No, it merely means that regardless of how advanced you think you are, in some ways humans are little better than task segregated insects. Some farm, some fight.
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If stealing the neighbor tribes food in order to survive is natural, why do so many cry out against even the discussion of the subject? Because we think living in an energy abundant world is the natural order of things and will never cease. If you accept the notion of petroleum running out, then you accept the fact of die-off and resource scarcity. It follows that we will return to a more primitive existence. When the food runs out then people will fight one another for it. You can be the biggest Jesus freak on the block, give to charity and help our starving little brown brothers overseas. But once your fellow religious neighbors start to starve, I don’t think you will meekly turn the other cheek and go into the stewpot. One of you will have a revelation. Baby Jesus himself will visit you at night. Slay the unbelievers in my name! Problem solved, now you have religious sanction to kill the enemy. Yes, I think the towelheads should be banned. If we are trying to fight them, don’t allow them to be a local fifth column. But in their defense, Christians have been just as deadly in the name of religion.
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I would love to live in peace the rest of my days, left alone by everyone. But once the gas is gone, any jagbag and his brother that come along will want to kill me. I say, better to take the fight to them first. Sorry if that makes me politically incorrect.
END
A guest article this Saturday. Same bat channel.