patrick.net

The difference is the US bound together. Rights went away, because everyone said "That isn't a right I use or really need, but if it'll help the general good, I'll give it up!" Now people are saying "Hmm ops that was a bit too far..."

Don't build a survival kit for that kind of idiocy, build one for earthquakes, floods, or whatever is the most likely to hit you. Keep it in your car, because it's more likely you'll get stranded in your car, find yourself in an accident or helping someone else who has been in an accident. If you were at work, at a park, restaurant, camping, you've at least got the kit with you.

http://www.missilebases.com/properties

But in reality like Pkennedy said the best thing is to have a kit in you car with some good shoes. I keep all my camping/hiking/first aid supplies in sturdy container where it won’t get buried under to much debris when the major earthquake hits. You and I are the same on guns because of kids although sometimes I think of getting a revolver and just locking it in combo safe.

Getting your Ham license might be fun I got one when I was a kid and I think it’s much easier to get now since they took the Morris Code portion out of it, haven’t used one in decades. Could get a prepaid Satellite phone with no month charges and just add minutes as needed if you want to blow some cash.

I was going to start a post with a similar theme, but this one is close enough--
How bad would things have to get in the US for Greek style protests or even Egypt style protests to take place? Some have suggested that merely making major cuts in food stamps amounts/numbers would bring the US to a similar state ...

American in Japan says

Some have suggested that merely making major cuts in food stamps amounts/numbers would bring the US to a similar state …

Depends on what happens at the state level, really. Cutting back on our $9B/yr prison industry is a double-whammy, putting more people out on the street who can't get work, and cutting into the 60,000 employee-years the system is funding, e.g. a 10% cutback would cost 6,000 jobs theoretically.

The state has $16B/yr to cut if we don't get our tax rises passed this year. $16B would be at least a half-million people negatively effected (at $30,000 each -- maybe twice that since that $30,000 generally involves a service provider and a state beneficiary), plus peak initial claims were in 2009 so these people will be running out of their 99 weeks any day now, which will raise the simmer temperature a bit more as this welcome influx of Federal money into local communities goes away.

Throw in a crack-down on illegal employment in traditionally OK areas like food service, another click or two.

I think the state is fucked and that's one of the main reasons I want to move out, either to a doomstead up north or back to Japan, though a nice enough place down in southern OC might also work.

I would hope the government (state and local) could steadily divert money away from "industries" with a low multiplier effect (i.e. prisons and the military) to stimulate those with a greater multiplier effect. I may be too idealistic here but that is one of the policy changes that needs to be done.

@pkennedy
>The difference is the US bound together. Rights went away, because everyone said “That isn’t a right I use or really need, but if it’ll help the general good, I’ll give it up!” Now people are saying “Hmm ops that was a bit too far…”

Well said.

Just turn off Glenn Beck and you'll be Okay.

lurking says

Just turn off Glenn Beck and you’ll be Okay.

But don't forget to pack extra chalk for your chalkboard. ;)

Algeria is now having riots apparently...

Z raises a point - if your house burns down, along with your computer, have you a backup for the important stuff? And is it in your house?

I'm not worried about riots, floods, fires, etc. But when the alien ship lands in my (huge-ass) backyard, I am worried that they'll land on my septic tank and crush it. Those suckers are expensive.

I only worry about plausible things.

If our internet and television were to shut down over night. With in a week, our collective blood pressure would fall by 75%. Would we still be an angry rabble? Probably, but a more focused and coherent one, at peace with our selves.

Nah, we'd be freaking out due to lack of news,

Radio, food, water, basic medicine, gas/oil for the vehicle. Batteries, flash light, gas lamp (gas to keep it filled). A tent (thats more for earthquakes, fires, etc...)

Depending on your geographical location a rifle and a hand gun may be a necessity.

Civil rights do get trampled upon very easily, even in our society. We still have the patriot act to remind us of 9/11. In Indiana (Fort Wayne) groups of locals got into a mob and started rounding up local Muslims and castrating them after news of 9/11.

During WW2 this nation had concentration camps for Japanese. Shit happens, best way to deal with it is to be ready.

Rights went away, because everyone said “That isn’t a right I use or really need, but if it’ll help the general good, I’ll give it up!”

You, sir, are a funny motherfucker.

This last weeks economist (I think the one with the article about 3D printing) just had an article about the possibility of the internet being shut off in the U.S. and the basic conclusion was that it's highly unlikely here, one reason being it would simply be a lot more complicated to shut it off her than it was in Egypt. (And even there they weren't able to totally shut it off.)

Might not be too smart to say you aren't going to have a gun. Now people know where to pick up cheap supplies when things get rough.

i would plan for a Katrina style scenario. Say a temporary disruption of civil society, and a slow painful restart.

So 30 days food, Water Filters, camp stove or sterno, box of ammo,....

Look if you want to plan for the dead rising, well, shoot, move north.

but could we see major riots, like greece, or a hurricane hit and the government fold up for a while? sure.