Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
In Northern regions of an unstable country, a battle broke out yesterday in the streets of a small city. Meanwhile, in the Southeastern corridor, protesters continue to clash over control of a monument, and in the North West, rebels have been battling local authorities for control of the Capitol for 80 days. One city in the central part of the nation has isolated itself by raising drawbridges in an effort to quell the violence and destruction of ongoing riots. After a massive crime spree the largest city in the nation looks like the setting of a dystopian movie.
The formerly prosperous nation has been rocked by disease, authoritarian measures, police corruption, and economic catastrophe throughout the summer. A hotly contested presidential race is spurring further division, and the level of violence is expected to increase as election day approaches.
It sounds like coverage of some distant, war-torn country. I remember when I was in college hearing daily coverage of the situation in Sarajevo and it sounded so far away that at some point, I stopped paying attention.
But now the war-torn country is ours.
The report above is about events currently taking place in Kalamazoo, Stone Mountain, Seattle, Chicago, and New York City.
And still, I see people saying, “It can’t happen here.” They say, “Our area is different.”
Have you checked your normalcy bias lately?
One of the things that Selco writes about often is recognizing that a new set of rules is in place, and acting on that immediately. The earlier you can accept that the rules of the game have changed, the better off you’re going to be.
But many people – including many preppers – refuse to believe that these things are coming closer to home. It’s difficult to accept that one day, the fight could be at your own door. This failure of imagination is something I see often in the preparedness community and, in my opinion, it’s as dangerous as refusing to prepare is.
Last fall, I ran a daily challenge to get folks to think through a variety of situations. Everyone was on board until I escalated the imaginary scenario.
On Day 15, I asked people how they could acquire food if they’d run through all their preps and still we had no grocery system in place. This challenge was loaded with excellent answers from people who really knew about the bounty they had outside their backdoor.
But then on Day 16, I asked people to take it one step further
Today’s challenge is inspired by the course that I took in Croatia with Selco and Toby.
Yesterday, I asked you what food you could find nearby if the situation had devolved to the point that you’d gone through all your stored food.
Now, if the situation has devolved that far, you have to also imagine that there is no Rule of Law. It’s the Wild West. Everyone is a threat.
As Selco said to us, “You think this is hard? Now do it while everyone is trying to kill you.”
When the SHTF in Bosnia, the threats were everywhere. Snipers were shooting civilians from the hilltops when they went to the river to get water. Neighbors were fighting neighbors for their resources. It was mayhem for an entire year…So today’s challenge takes yesterday’s a step further.
How would you get that nearby food if everyone around was a threat to your life or physical well-being? Would you go at night? Would you move stealthily and slowly during the day? Go in teams? This thought certainly puts a new twist on things. (source)
Things almost ground to a halt with this challenge – just thinking through it was difficult for people. They couldn’t fathom such a reality happening right here in the United States of America. Several people went as far as to write to me about how I was just needlessly scaring people.
But if you aren’t willing to think through the true worst-case scenario, how prepared are you really?
I’m seeing exactly the same thing happen in response to the civil unrest that is spreading across the nation. Nobody who lives outside of a city wants to believe that this trouble could at some point arrive at their doors. So many people seem to think that their location is somehow charmed and immune to the chaos that is sweeping the rest of the country. I know of a few people who are remarkably skilled and well-equipped but they are not in the majority. They are people with years of experience in catastrophic situations. They aren’t Bob who sells insurance or Betty who is a long-time member of the PTA.
Some folks refuse to learn from history
“It could never happen here” is very possibly the most dangerous sentence in the preparedness world. It’s very limiting and if you are firmly grounded in that belief, then if “it” does happen where you are, it’s going to be difficult for you to quickly adapt in order to survive the situation.
You may think “it could never happen there” because…
- You live in a Red State
- You live in the country
- You and your neighbors don’t put up with any nonsense
- Nobody would dare come to where you are because of (fill in the blank with words like guns, veterans, terrain, Christians)
- You live in a close-knit community
Really, pick your own reason why you feel that you are insulated against the things spreading across this country. But at the same time, realize that police response times are dramatically lengthening even in small towns. People are politically divided, racially divided, and split by income levels – and this is not just in the big cities.
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this topic
Some people are so blinded by their ideal of American exceptionalism that they flatly refuse to take advice from those who have been through hell and back.
Some of the readers on my website (and others that republish my articles) get downright furious with guest bloggers from other countries. They are overly critical, for example, of my writer from Venezuela, Jose. They like to loudly claim how the things that have happened to Jose and other Venezuelans could never happen to them and are the direct result of personal weakness and cowardice. They condemn Selco, saying his country is a “third world shithole.” They ignore the advice of contributors from South Africa, and when I cite the troubles of European countries, they’re quick to blame the citizens.
It’s a sad and offensive perspective. We should be thanking our lucky stars that these people have the courage to relive their experiences to help us prepare should a similar catastrophe strike here.
Honestly, it makes me think that these folks who read survival websites and criticize those who have actually survived the real SHTF events we all plan for are really just another variety of the “sheeple” they all mocked during the Obama administration.
They like to talk about how the general populace is so unaware of things going on behind the scenes of government, or how manipulative and propagandist the media can be. But when they are faced with true stories and first-person accounts, they opt to bury their heads in the sand and say, “It could never happen here.”
It is much wiser, in my opinion, to read the stories of those who have suffered and learn lessons, than it is to smugly play Monday morning quarterback about the collapse of an entire nation.
“It could never happen here” is the most dangerous failure of imagination in survival.
If you are one of the people who has rudely insulted my writers, I sincerely doubt you’ll read this and recognize the error of your ways. You’ll probably say, “Daisy is a jerk. I’m not reading her articles anymore.” (Buh-bye, then.)
You’ll probably get mad and wonder who the hell I think I am.
I’ll tell you exactly who I am.
I’m an American who doesn’t think she’s the exception to things that only happen “somewhere else.” I’m a person who looks for the wisdom of others who have been through the very events for which we prep. I’m a person who offers respect to those who are willing to share the things they wish they’d known before their own life-altering disaster. I’m a person who doesn’t look down my nose at the very individuals who are doing their best to help us just because they happen to be from somewhere besides the US and therefore “deserve it.” I’m a mother who wants to learn and protect my family from the worst things that can happen.
Thank goodness, most of the readers here feel the same way I do and are grateful for contributions from folks who have been to Hell and brought back lessons for us.
If you think it “could never happen here” I have to wonder why you’re wasting time on a survival website. “It could never happen here” is the most dangerous failure of imagination in survival.
It IS happening here.
Go back to the introduction to this article and you will plainly see that it is happening here. You may have loads of reasons that you feel you are exempt, but I strongly believe that you are not.
Maybe you need to remember who you are.
You are a person who is determined to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. You have spent time and money to ensure that your family will be okay if something terrible happens. You are determined not to be reliant on the not-so-tender mercies of FEMA after a disaster. You are someone who intends to survive.
Maybe then…just maybe…you need to revisit what is possible, no matter how ugly it is or how much it disrupts your personal comfort zone.
As Selco wrote recently, “What can never happen there is happening there.”
Did you ever expect…..?
Did you ever expect our national economy to be shut down? To be forced to wear masks? To require travel papers to get to and from work? To watch people openly assaulting others in public places over differences in philosophies? That your home might be a target for arsonists if you proudly fly this country’s flag?
Maybe you’ll be fortunate and it won’t happen there where you live. Maybe you’re correct. And I sincerely hope that you are. I hope that rural America is able to stand strong and remain untouched.
But what if you’re wrong?
About Daisy
Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging, adventure-seeking, globe-trotting blogger. She is the founder and publisher of three websites. 1) The Organic Prepper, which is about current events, preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty; 2) The Frugalite, a website with thrifty tips and solutions to help people get a handle on their personal finances without feeling deprived; and 3) PreppersDailyNews.com, an aggregate site where you can find links to all the most important news for those who wish to be prepared. Her work is widely republished across alternative media and she has appeared in many interviews.
Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 11 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at Learn.TheOrganicPrepper.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Gab, MeWe, Parler, Instagram, and Twitter.
Wise words from a wise woman. Thank you for a touch of reality to help our family survive the coming storm.
well said
I live only 3 miles from downtown of a small-medium size town in N.C. YES I realize that things can and most likely will happen here eventually. I think the cities will come first then the big towns and then the medium size ones and then one like where I live now and then the smaller towns and finally the rural areas closest to the towns and then possibly the rural area way out miles out of town but little by little with will most likely happen…We can’t all just up and move (easier said than done)…People have jobs, relatives, friends they won’t leave regardless and some won’t leave simply b/c where they have been is the only relative safety they know. We are reluctant to leave our comfort zones and the safety of the community that we know…Some people have lived where they now live their entire lives 20,40, 60, years even (it will be extremely difficult for them to just up and move away)…
What Daisy says makes A LOT of sense, but sometimes things are (as I said) easier said than done…I hope for safety and sometimes it’s just not guaranteed, and to be honest (for me anyway) b/c I am alone, it’s quite scary…
Great article, Daisy. I see the same denial amongst Christians…”we will never suffer here in the US”. Problem is, Christians around the world have been martyred for centuries. How is it that Christians in the US would be exempt from that, too? It’s a symptom of tunnel vision and believing that those in the US are somehow more worthy of protection than people around the world. When you break it down that way, it’s a pretty ugly perspective, but it persists in the Christian community, just as it does in the prepper community.
Fight in place sounds better to me than the Shelter in place. Hold your positions at All costs. Becoming a refugee in your own land may be an alternative for some, but it doesn’t work for me.
Accepting and Knowing the consequences of your Actions seems to be the key principle, for me to follow. Each to their Own.
Normalcy bias infects the gun world, as well. Anyone who’s not willing to learn from others is probably too ignorant to learn anything. Ignore the haters, you’re doing the right thing.
I hope it never happens near me, but I’m not going to bet my life on it.
Great article, Daisy! My husband and I had a conversation exactly along these lines the other day. I am the prepper in our famil. He doesn’t scoff at me or anything, but I am definitely the one who stocks up/ pays attention to trends/worries about the future. And a few days ago he looked at me and said, unprompted, “You know how we always wondered how other countries collapsed? We always thought, why didn’t people do anything? That could never happen here.” And then he said, “It IS happening here. We’re watching it happen, and how stupid of us to think that those people could have done anything. It’s happening in front of our eyes.”
Thank you Daisy. I have always appreciated your articles and those of other authors who post about what is happening, has happened and what can most likely be expected. I am very thankful for their input. I’m not into arm chair warriors that seem to have a lot of advice, but have never actually been in these situations or witnessed anything and then attack those who have. I would think they would be grateful to hear their experience. I am in total agreement about so many people in our country in denial of much of what is happening. It is very difficult for me to understand their thinking in such a way that it will eventually bring harm to them. As much as I have tried to share information, thoughts and ideas, posing questions of what we can do to help ourselves, many within my own family will not listen. They think I’m that crazy person in the family that only wants to stir up their lives, their fun, their vacations and so on. I’m not trying to take away the enjoyment in our lives, I’m just trying to say that maybe, just maybe we need to put a little effort into protecting ourselves from what is now upon us. I only am trying to tell them that because if they don’t do at least something within their own family, this is what is going to happen to them if they continue to live in la-la land. I do not force this on them, but I give them examples of what is happening here in our country and other countries.They will be the ones who turn on you, and then expect you to take care of their problems and situation when it’s too late. The writing has been on the wall for quite sometime and I have come to a point that I’ve quit talking to anyone anymore over the last couple of years. It does no good. I saw a picture of an actor that had something like this posted across the picture as if he were asking….”What are you, some kind of special stupid”? I also want to say something like do they actually think that none of this will come to their doorstep and that they have some kind of special bubble around them that nothing can hurt or upset their lives?? Sometimes I feel I’d like to say that to them, though I don’t, but these people that I have tried to encourage should know better. Again, thanks for all the great information and sharing in articles that can help encourage those of us who do care about our families, friends and neighbors.
The concept and phrase of “It Can’t Happen Here” has a long history. My pre-Pearl Harbor hardback reprint of that book title says it was copyrighted by Sinclair Lewis in 1935. And since I’m an obsessive quote collector, I’m inspired to go back before that.
From the 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.”
I think he overlooked some possibilities. Sometimes, after a fight (whether an openly declared war, or a covert sneaky affair) the winner(s) will do everything possible to have HINOs (historians in name only) maintain whatever story that keeps the winners in the best public light — regardless of however much the truth was butchered. Sometimes there’s even an admission of such butchery — such as the late CIA Director Casey’s mention that “we’ll know when our disinformation campaign has been successful when everything the American public believes is a lie.”
A couple of other classic lies you might still believe from US history could be if you still believe that FDR did not spend a full two years prior to Pearl Harbor trying to figure out how to goad Japan into a first strike. Another example that you might believe is that Lincoln was motivated to free the slaves — when in fact he offered in February of 1865 that the South could keep their slaves if they would peacefully rejoin the union and pay the exorbitant Robin Hood style tariffs to benefit Lincoln’s northern industrial campaign supporters. (The South rejected that offer.)
But to bring the discussion to the present day chaos. This August 2020 15-minute recording of the President of Ghana reading a summary of a Rockefeller plandemic planning document from 2010 (including his occasional comments of disgust on updated events since 2010) should chill you to your bones.
August 14, 2020: President of Ghana Reads [Damning] Rockefeller 2010 Plans
The audio from the President of Ghana runs about 15 minutes. The text summary below that audio is both the summary document from 2010 with some occasional comments of condemnation that the President of Ghana inserts.
Because sometimes his accents might be occasionally a bit surprising, the easiest way is to follow his talk with the transcript in front of you. That way you’ll pick up the emotion (and some of his additional comments — which when some [but not all] are included on the transcript in parentheses) not reflected in the written transcript.
https://www.nukepro.net/2020/08/president-of-ghana-reads-rockefeller.html
Recall that the Rockefeller organization supplied the original vaccine that in the Spring of 1918 was first forced into GIs in training at Ft. Riley, Kansas. That kicked off what became a worldwide epidemic of death which was named the “Spanish Flu” as a cover story by Wilson’s wartime government which lacked the guts to condemn the Rockefeller murderers. The Rockefellers have maintained that cover story without admitting even to this day a century later that they were responsible for killing somewhere between 50 million and 100 million people worldwide.
–Lewis
The Rockefeller organization really caused BOTH pandemics? Before they even developed a vaccine, there was flue around the world. It originated in the far east, was spread by rodents on ships. While it’s possible that the vaccine made things worse – I’m not interested in arguing that one way or the other – the reality is that before there was a vaccine, there was a pandemic. And you don’t even mention encephalitis lethargica, which was a pandemic in its own right, and a much worse infection than the flu. The major difference was that the flu either killed you or you recovered, while the encephalitis produced lifelong incapacity for millions.
Even though it’s possible that the vaccine was unhelpful or even harmful, the sequence of infective events is such as to render your attack inaccurate at best, and irrational at worst. The evil powers certainly make mistakes. But, often, so do their critics.
Maybe the worst will happen here. And I admire those strong and clever enough to figure out ways to get around the problems. But many of us would just die, including me and my daughter. I have MS and would be physically unable to cope with new, demanding ways to meet our needs.
Hundreds of thousands died during the Fall of the Roman Empire from disease, violence, or need. Half the population of Europe died from the Black Plague or the breakdown of society it caused. Between fifty and a hundred million died from the Spanish flu. Many millions died in the World Wars. It’s really better to preserve a working social order if you can. But it’s not always possible.
We’ve been growing vegetables on the deck in five-gallon containers this summer, enough to give us a couple of side dishes a month. I could not grow wheat and make flour, and my daughter is GFCF anyway. I also could not make gluten-free pasta. I could not raise chickens and rabbits for food, and could not kill or butcher them. I could not keep any kind of milk-producing animal. If I did, I could make yogurt, but that’s probably it. If we had no electricity, we would die in the winter, if not before.
I enjoy reading your articles and it’s fun to imagine implementing the suggestions, but I am under no illusions. If our society collapses, we will die.
This is the sober side of prepping C.P. There are no guarantees on life at any moment. We can be victims in our own homes from a safety failure. We can step out the front door, drive down the road and meet our doom. Flash. Boom. How many healthy people’s hearts seize up at a moment’s notice? We do not know the future or the date and nature of our death.
There is much to be said about having a sober assessment of our chances and doing our level best with what we can do to beat the odds. Someone in your situation may beat the odds by sheer shrewdness. Thinking we’re all that (Rambo Prepper) is as dangerous as being a day late and a dollar short.
But, it sounds to me like you are not a spoiled person. It’s the spoiled people in denial of potential personal danger who may wake up too late. OR, they may be able to survive by their wits once they experience their first hard knock of reality.
We’ve got really good brains that function well when we are reality-based. It sounds like you are doing all you practically can as well as accepted the possibility of your own death. Facing our mortality is a humbling affair.
Your comment adds a lot to the survival perspective. We need to imagine our own death as well.
There are alternatives.
Learn a crucial skill or two. Medical, cooking, making clothes from scratch, etc.
Many Prepper groups would gladly take you in and help you, in return for those skills.
There are may ways to find such groups. One way is to go to Meet up and join Prepper net. They usually have state wide groups and even local ones.
Survival is about adapting and overcoming obstacles.
Never just give up.
Mic has some great advice, Cia. Please don’t give up, even though it feels like the deck is stacked against you. There are tons of things I can’t do, but there are a few things I do extremely well. No person is an island and that’s why we talk so much about communities.
Keep your chin up and think outside the typical prepper box. There are actually quite a few classes you can take online to learn valuable skills like medical treatment, herbalism, sewing, etc. Many of them are even free.
Good luck!
Cia, I’m a mum of a few kids two with special needs. I don’t generally talk about what we saw and lived through over a two year period. But during that time I didn’t have any preps not a one, the best asset I had was situational awareness ( I had not clue it was called that at the time ) I couldn’t stand and fight, nor clear a field in under 10 mins , I used that to keep us alive . Trying to stay one step ahead, and quietly (as you can with kids) not attracting too much attention more to a safer place. Daisy has a forum if you post anything you’d like to learn, if I can I will help you, if not others with a wealth of knowledge I’m sure will. Lastly if we were in the same country I’d have you in our group because you’ve researched , believe that things can happen you are already ahead of the game. Big hugs xxx
My apologies dear prepping friend for yesterday’s maudlin perspective. I do see that I need to unpack the maudlin a little bit more so that we don’t dismiss it’s usefulness to a prepper’s mindset. If we can imagine the things that threaten death, we can find a strong motivation to take preventative measures as far as possible. If we can remember when we were our thirstiest, hungriest, coldest, hottest and magnify the feeling to it’s extreme, we can say to ourselves, “I don’t want to die of thirst, hunger, exposure or from aggressive, deceitful people.” There is great motivation here. We chose life, so we prep. Imagining how death may come is a counterbalance to despair and a move toward maintaining the joy of life and peace of mind.
I do believe it is possible to make yogurt out of dry milk since it is the milk sugars that the bacteria feed on. There is a company called Cultures for Health that offers the things that make yogurts, kefirs, cheeses and other cultured products. When push comes to shove, you can make a stove top (camp stove) custard with dried milk, dried eggs, water, sugar, vanilla, coconut, etc. It is very sustaining.
We get ready as much as we can to survive to better times. I agree that we need other people of the same mindset. We all bring much to the conversation.
Good post! I have been pondering this same set of issues about where my family will be most safe. I do trust God for my safety. However the Bible says that a man’s enemies will be those of his own house.. I think that can be expanded to our country as a whole. I think the country is far better than the cities but not 100% safe by any means.
This is a good article to get people thinking.
But the better issue is what about Water, not food.
You can survive without food a lot longer, than without water.
Water resources will be stretched thin in an downed grid scenario.
I do not know if the water utilities still worked in Selco’s location or if they were all on wells.
But here in America it will be a big problem and if you have to transport it any distance, that will be a bigger problem.
Most people have no clue how much water it take to survive long term. For the very short term emergency, you can get by on just drinking water requirements,(1 gallon a day).
But in the long term, you have to use Refugee camp water needs figures: 10 to 15 gallons of water, per person, per day!
This varies by the foods you are cooking, the climate you are in (bathing needs and clothes washing.) or if someone is sick.
Now if you are going to garden, then add water needs for that.
A family of four could use 60 gallons a day or more (that would weigh in at about 500 lbs plus container weight). Transporting that without a vehicle would be quite a task.
Now consider trying to do that, while under fire!
It’s true, we can get on for quite a while without food before we begin to break down. Did a 40-day fast 23 years ago for a variety of reasons. This is not recommended for anyone who isn’t in a serious prayer mode. Hunger pains stopped after day 5. I kept my dh, three teenagers and seven year old going with their full meals — cooking, cleaning and keeping up with the chores as well as my walking routine. There is an amazing amount of energy without food. Insights are instantaneous. But in a SHTF scenario, the energy should go to finding water and food if there isn’t any.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a rationing attitude to make things stretch. Have the comfort food IF you really, really need it — after — not before the SHTF. Fasting is a good discipline in shorter spurts.
We’ve actually been given a great reprieve with a bit of a slo-mo SHTF preview that should’ve alerted everyone. Amazing how many simply won’t wake up until they’re personally and irreversibly deprived.
10-15 gallons of water a day?
Where is that refugee camp located? Hollywood?
When I was in Afghanistan, during a drought, we were on water restrictions: No showers, sponge baths were the order of the day. Two half liter water bottles (being flown in viz C-5, C-17 2, 3 times a week), a camp bowl, and a microfiber towel.
And, contrary to popular belief, you do not have to shower every day. Even here in the US, when the power is on, the water on demand with the turn of the faucet.
Problem with refugee camps is sanitation. Some yahoo will not properly dispose of their waste, contaminate the water supply and you have a out-break of cholera.
Anyone recall villages in the mountains of Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria. They were using the streams and rivers for drinking and were getting sick (cholera and other assorted diseases) from people upstream of them, just dumping their waste into the water ways, for those downstream?
Greater concentration of people in a small area and the greater the chance of outbreaks of various kinds . . . COVID19 anyone?
Yes, you can go longer without food than water. But at a cost for prolonged periods of time. Fatigue, malnutrition, begin to set in, the immune system becomes weaker.
Food
Water
Shelter
Security (physical, medical, and mental)
Concentrate on providing/securing/having those four things and the basic are covered.
Anything else is bonus.
Firstly thanks to Selco, Jose whose articles hit the spot. It’s absolutely gusty to talk about your trauma you’ve lived over a period of time that can often lead to PTSD flashbacks.
For me, without a doubt I know it will happen here (Aus) I know what organised groups on the fringe are capable of in good times . High unemployment, people feeling strangled by tight restrictions and lock downs, people with substance abuse problems , people with mental health issues just hanging in there, issues with food shortages for masses that believe it’s their God given right to have what they want when they want it. It’s a pressure cooker recipe for shit to happen. What does that mean for me as a mum with kids ?? Everyday achieve small goals, teach my kids to light a rocket stove , forage even if it’s our backyard for edible plants , cut back my chocolate, exercise more not to lose weight but to gain strength, install new home security, be aware of my environment on the street and how the neighbours are coping, keep my front looking like I have nothing of value, do something every damn day. Look at my weaknesses and sit with how uncomfortable they are and look for strategies to change them. Plan, plan , plan .
I’m not waiting for someone to come save us. I know I’m not in an ideal position but are any of us ? But I’ll do my best to push through and keep going , there is no giving up when your in danger.
First, I didn’t claim that the Rockefeller organization created BOTH the 1918 Spanish Flu AND the 2020 Covid-19 virus. That 2010 planning document was about about how to take advantage of such a virus once it had been created and distributed by covert means.
These two extensive articles cover the 1918 history well, including the poor behavior of the medical profession at that time.
https://vaccineimpact.com/2018/did-military-experimental-vaccine-in-1918-kill-50-100-million-people-blamed-as-spanish-flu/
AND
https://web.archive.org/web/20190109014429/https://realfarmacy.com/did-a-military-experimental-vaccine-in-1918-kill-100-million-people-blamed-as-spanish-flu/
In a nutshell, the US Army began its mandatory vaccination system in 1911. So when the Rockefeller Institute provided the US Army at Ft Riley, Kansas with a poorly tested-in-horses vaccine in early 1918, the GIs had no choice but to accept the jab. With World War I underway, censorship of newspaper reporting blocked reporting in western countries that were part of the war. Spain was not involved so early reporting about the “flu” appeared there first. That created the convenient opportunity for our government to lie about its origin and dub it the “Spanish Flu.”
The Rockefeller Institute also supplied that same vaccine to several other countries, so the deaths from it worldwide have been estimated between 50 to 100 million, far more than any battlefield injury deaths. After the war, the Germans had suffered such horrendous “flu” deaths that they sent investigators over to this country in the early 1920s to try to find out medically what had happened. They were told by our medical people that “well, our experiments got out of hand.” We didn’t learn about those conversations until the late 1940s when our CIA interrogated the German ex-Gestapo chief who revealed those details. A record of that interrogation is preserved in book form today on Amazon.
A long gone uncle of mine was in training at Ft Riley in 1918 when the GIs began to get sick. When he came home on leave, he brought the sickness home and gave it to his mother, my grandmother. This was in the early stages before the mutations increased its severity, so both he and his mother recovered. It was just nearly a century afterward before we learned what had really happened and how the government lie had lasted all this time.
–Lewis
I don’t believe I’ve insulted them though I have disagreed on a few things.
I’ve followed Selco for years. I used to be on his blog but left due to the anti law enforcement and anti military sentiment by commentary. It became too unproductive and disruptive. I was there, for a short time, with Selco in the 90s. My preparedness life revolves around many lessons from it. Selco will forever be a mentor and hold special hope in my heart.
Jose is a well that is deep and current. His situation only re-enforces my beliefs in that type of government and people who follow it. It is unfortunately a hardship on him and many other decent folks that hopefully will see better days ahead.
Terry and I will not always agree because of our opposing backgrounds. Doesn’t mean he’s wrong though. He’s tough in many ways and smart. He will survive in situations where I might not because my goal is not always pure survival. I still respect him and his writings.
I’m a Type A which at times can stand for A…ole. My articulations could improve.
For those that think “it can’t happen here” well I started making hard comparisons since 07. It scared me to a degree. I used that as a drive to work harder.
I’m hopeful for all that the input from the team on here will push you to be the best you that can be had. We’ve a long ways to go for betterment. Stay safe
You’ve definitely never insulted them. You’re not that kind of reader. We’re all about dissent and discussion here. I’m referring more to the folks who say “you deserve it” instead of taking lessons from what has happened.
The mention of a reliable water supply is of major significance (or in today’s vernacular, bigly). It’s been some years since I mentioned doing a DIY build of a passive solar water distiller. When finished it looks a bit like a pool table with a slightly slanted glass top. The author of the book below used to supervise the building of many of these along the Texas/Mexico border around El Paso — where there was way too much salt in the groundwater. There was enough reliable sunlight in those areas for an entire family to depend on one such water cleaning table. There are some close examples on YouTube, but most lack one or two details that are not missing in her book.
Now obviously, such table-sized distillers are not intended to be very portable. But they do work … until you get far enough north to run out of enough usable sunlight, and I’m not sure where that boundary is. I squirreled away four single sliding glass doors a neighbor was throwing away in case I ever needed to make such a device.
Distiller: Do It Yourself – Make a Solar Still to Purify H20 Without Electricity or Water Pressure, Kindle or Paperback – September 4, 2015
by Sharon Buydens
https://www.amazon.com/DIY-Distiller-Yourself-Electricity-Pressure/dp/1517216680/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Sharon+Buydens+books&qid=1597629278&s=books&sr=1-1
It’s also worth mentioning that there are ways of conserving precious clean water in some non-obvious ways. For cooking, eg., if all you need is the rising steam for 1) steaming foods or 2) powering a double boiler or 3) doing both simultaneously with a double boiler stacked on top of a steamer stacked above a boiling pot, using less than cleaned water in that boiling pot is not a problem.
–Lewis
One way of conserving water is to use just enough for the purposes. For example, when I cook pasta, I cook it over a low heat, so low that it doesn’t boil over with a cover on the pan, that thoroughly cooks the pasta leaving no water to pour off. It all gets into the pasta. For rice, I premeasure the rice and water, bring it to a boil, then pour it into a thermos. In three to four hours the rice is soft with no water to pour off. That uses less water than a rice cooker.
Look at your own diet, there may be ways to use less water than what recipes call for. Now is the time to experiment while water is still plentiful.
I have always cooked rice by placing rice in cold water, heat and as soon as you see any bubbles…cover, turn off heat and leave…no excess water, no scorch, no gadgets..
Also never drain canned veggies etc you can dump as is into soups, stews..etc
If you must drain save and use to make stock.
Meats same or if you drain add to pet food.
Miss Daisy, you are correct, time to prepare, not post. Too dangerous to do so any more. Stay safe, keep your head down, put your Faith in Jesus. Bye!
When it comes down to a wild west situation.. We will have bigger problems with Mexico , China and Russia coming here for a slice of America.
” in the North East, rebels have been battling local authorities for control of the Capitol for 80 days”
Should be northwest. If this is a reference to Seattle, Seattle is not the capitol of Washington, Olympia is. References to Northern and Southeastern parts of the country should not be capitalized.
Otherwise a thought provoking article. People will not want to face the frankness of your questions. Well done.
Whoops – thank you for catching that! I guess that’s what happens when I write pre-coffee! 🙂
I couldn’t remember who the contributors were from South Africa so I used your search engine & found posts by Struggling Utilitarian. I especially liked the one on water conservation in Cape Town.
My eyes were opened when the shortages at the grocery stores began.
I live in small-town USA. My small local grocery was swamped with people from “other counties” surrounding mine. They came here b/c their groceries in the big cities were overrun and they had nothing where they lived. So we ran out early on in the CoViD thing.
That sort of thing went on until local grocer made a single entry and single exit and began counting people. We often had to wait in line to get into shop and people from other counties began going elsewhere rather than wait in a long line far from their homes.
They will eventually roam their way out here for the violence too. You see, we live in the home town of Nathan Bedford Forrest. I am so surprised the riot crowds haven’t been out here to destroy his monument in the middle of town. As well as take down/deface the man’s plaques that are on several buildings.
Good article. I will pass it on.
Good Article and I believe what is written is looking more and more evident by the day. Until the patriots of America stand up and say “Enough is Enough” with the rioting, looting, assaulting the police, etc., this will not stop! I’m not advocating the start of a civil war, but letting our voices be heard….as in voting in November! Then, if that’s not a strong enough message, maybe a little stronger message needs to be sent….
well your comment did not age well. How did that “stronger message” go? Did you attempt to take over our capitol? Are you one of the traitors that tried to take over our government?
Stop listening to Putin’s little puppet and re-take your oath to the US Constitution, not the russian one.
Great article and a very important point. Thanks for this article Daisy. Haven’t read you in a while but I am glad I stopped by for this one.
If someone believes bad things can never happen in America then why are they wasting their time prepping? I was in the Philippines in 1985 when the anti-Marco revolution began and it didn’t take long for things to go sideways and in a hurry.
Those that have been in areas outside of the US and seen first hand the depravity and limitless things desperate people to survive or push their will on others will do have no idea what their neighbor, coworker, family member or fellow church goer is capable of in an extreme environment.
People would be wise to listen to Selco and others that have seen this first hand and are not trying to scare you, instead they are trying to prepare you for a situation that very few Americans can imagine even in their worst nightmares.
Excellent!
I can and probably WILL happen here.
I live in the sticks and in a RED state. But the cities are still the cancerous tumors ALL metro areas are. They’re not being pillaged and burned, but the “urban youth” have the same mind set their compatriots in the S***holes do. It’d just that the city administrations said NO, and the local/state LEOs are in agreement. That doesn’t stop bus loads, (who’s paying for them?), of them from venturing to our small county seat and terrorizing the town because the happens to be a statue acknowledging the fallen men of The American Civil War I. But the Sheriff has a marked car and a couple of Sheriff standing guard 24×7. Not to mention there’s always a few good ol’ boys hanging around. But the agitators keep trying, and eventually they’ll muster enough crazies to overwhelm the cops and get a rope around the statue.
So it WILL happen.
Be very prepared, and stay alert….
You are correct. It can happen here. I have lived mostly in the US, but also abroad, and deployed with the military. It surely can happen here as I saw it happen “there”.
Sinclair Lewis wrote the book “It Can’t Happen Here”. Several years later WWII broke out.
I got a new computer- had a lot of trouble with my old one and was unable to post so basically checking to see if I can now. I agree with your article. SHTF is now and I expect it to get worse.
The covid thing has made things harder- its no time to get sick. DH had to be airlifted to a hospital and I wasn’t able to visit him, a semi had a wreck at the edge of my yard (not the same incident) and I was enable to get to the dentist for a needed tooth repair and another family member had to go to the hospital. No one here got the virus and we are doing well now.
On the plus side I have a flowing well so have water even if the power is off and there is another one down the road. Bigger problem is freezing weather. I don’t mind being home. It gives me time to do things I wouldn’t have time to do otherwise.
Selco’s “4 types of people in SHTF” was extremely insightful & powerful. I found it very useful to learn how people “change” or Re-Define themselves, their behavior, and treatment towards others, when the system fails and there is no Law or Gov or Center.
Ferfal had an article some years back saying that the rural areas were not necessarily safer than urban areas in a societal breakdown. What happened in his country was that gangs rode out to the farms and tortured the farmers and their families until they got what they wanted, or left because there wasn’t anything anymore to do.
Each situation is different while following the same overall pattern. Argentina was not the same as Venezuela today, which is not the same as was Bosnia, but all required to adapt to the situation for survival.
I can’t predict how things will turn out here. After all, we may be nuked, then what? Many people will survive a nuclear bomb who didn’t expect to survive, but will be totally unprepared for what’s next. We may be invaded, and there’s no rules on how to survive, because the invaders will treat different people differently. We need to keep flexible.
I thank God for bloggers like you,Daisy. I live in a red state,the country,neighbors and I are veterans or former LEO. Still, as this flu proved,we/I were vulnerable. All our food and general goods are trucked in. I imagine the freeways being blocked,or,god forbid,a few well placed snipers along the I-10 freeway in both directions shutting down our lifeline. Check out a map,everybody, nothing but desert and mountains from California to Arizona,from the West. From the East,blue state cities. Need I say more? Scares the crap outta me. Not even the prepper group I belong to seems to grasp the significance of this.
The real gap was the majority actually believed there was a pandemic after the first month. All I can think is they are watching and reading mainstream news. Obviously a big mistake.
The stats never showed a pandemic, it was all dubious testing and models and propaganda.
Are you still wearing a mask for a nonexistent pandemic?
It will be much easier to claim your body freedom now rather than later. Read Bonhoeffer.
I should point out that prep as you may, there will always be factors of chance occurrences for which no preparation is possible. Also, every one of the sources you mentioned has a case of survivor-ship bias built in: for every Selco, Toby, and Jose, how many prudent and sensible people who’d seen the trouble in their countries coming and done what they could to prepare for it got killed anyway when they caught a stray bullet, ended up in a sniper’s cross-hairs while going to get water, or got ambushed in their beds at night? We don’t know, since they’re not around to post things on these prepper sites now, are they?
As to what can or can’t happen in various places, I should point out that while every single possible place one can live has its various risks, it remains that the risks one faces in rural vs. urban areas are exceedingly different. I’m not saying rural areas are altogether free from violent crime: in the unincorporated rural area where I live, we’ve had one case of a guy who shot his wife dead in the hair salon where she was working because he suspected her of cheating on him, and a burglar who pistol-whipped an old lady when she caught him breaking into her home one night; what I’m saying is, we don’t typically have collective violence out here. Case in point: when’s the last time you heard of a riot like the ones they’re having in the cities right now taking place in a rural area?
It’s also worth mentioning that every one of the problems you mentioned near the end of your article has occurred in my state… but so far these are not affecting me where I live. People have always been poor and had to scrape for their living any way they could around here, so they continue to be poor and have to scrape for their living any way they can during this economic shutdown; though stores around here still have signs posted demanding that people wear masks, these demands are almost never enforced when people ignore them (and a lot of people are indeed ignoring them); though my state’s (butt-headed Democrat) governor did indeed draw up and issue travel papers in anticipation of potential statewide quarantines, those travel restrictions were never ultimately enacted and I have never yet been required to present my stamped travel pass (signed by the food pantry where I volunteer) to anyone; so far, no one in our area has been assaulted for disagreeing with the racist and fascist philosophies of hate groups like Antifa and BLM (who did have enough supporters around here to hold small demonstrations in some nearby small towns); and so far, the only potential danger of flying an American flag at my home is that it would very likely be caught in one of the numerous torrential downpours we’ve been having these past unusually rainy six months. As I say, living out here has its risks, just like living anywhere else; but on the whole, I’d say those risks are far smaller and more manageable than… say… the risks of living in or near a large Democrat-run city would be.
Also worth mentioning is that not every skill one has to learn in order to survive in a SHTF situation is necessarily taught on any of these prepper sites. For instance, I have never yet seen any lessons on this site or any other on:
1. Discreetly disposing of a dead raider’s corpse so his gang doesn’t find out you killed him.
2. Related to 1, recipes for making dog food out of human remains and instructions for canning and preserving it.
3. Pacifying the local warlord, and how to domesticate him and his henchmen.
In part, that’s because these things are currently highly illegal and therefore only worth knowing in times when your locale has descended into complete anarchy, and in part it’s because no one really wants to contemplate any scenario so horrific.
So I’d have to ask: if your readers do indeed find themselves with their supplies completely depleted in a situation of total anarchy where everyone they encounter could be trying to rob, rape, and/or murder them, what do you recommend they do? How do you propose they procure food and water for their families when they can’t go foraging for it without risking being ambushed? To what lengths do you recommend they be willing to go when they’re in such dire straits?
You are a gem, Daisy! You and your smart team are super appreciated <3
I live in a very tiny rural town in a western state. Some Anitfa “protesters” came to the town just down the road. The townspeople, sheriff deputies, and state police peacefully made them leave but if they hadn’t, this is a well armed area and there probably would have been violence.
As I sit in my Category 5 stilt home waiting for Milton to come to the nearby shore, we are prepared. We also know that the federal government isn’t coming…and hasn’t since I worked out in Hurricane Andrew in 1992. I was in law enforcement then. There was no help for more than 2 weeks and then, it was only faith based groups. We heard that the Red Cross was begging for and getting tons of money. We never saw the Red Cross. I’ve been in 4 Cat 5 storms and quite a few other hurricanes. NO federal government agency helped. Only local police and fire did. And, of couse for Ian and now we have Governor Desantis.
If the government isn’t coming in times when there are not issues elsewhere and times are supposedly good, the what do you think will happen if SHTF? “you loot. we shoot” Those will be the signs here after the storm passes. We don’t have looters because enough of us will shoot.
That’s where we have been for a lot longer than people want to believe.
Keep up the good work, Daisy.
A problem I have.. it comes from man y years of getting screwed over because I tried helping people.
I always see the bad side first, what can go wrong or fail in almost any situation, like a curse.
You help and they expect more, you help and they demand.
When your used up, your not helping anymore I get comments like: “I see what a friend you really are” “gas money? don’t you have any”
“don’t call me when you need help.. I never do or will.
Some I never talked to again.
That over many years.
One guy I helped move three times, he was mad I refused to help the fourth time because I had a pickup truck.
Life bs.
In the coming collapse I will help myself first, anyone else.. maybe if I damn well feel like it.
Daisy…you recently updated us on you foot/ankle situation.
I had a triple beak in my leg/ankle…required surgery etc
I strongly recommend also utilizing suppliments and alternative types of medicine like Red light Therapy, sound, Qi Gong.
Many are helpful to speed bone and cellular healing!
I had damage to nerves because of the mess, so have little feeling in bottom of my feet…and some lymph damage so unpredictable swelling.
I was told after the fact most people with this injury rarely walk w/o Walker or at least a cane. Glad I didn’t know at time it was hard enough being out of work for 5 months with no unemployment etc
I am completely mobile…well don’t run because I occasionally trip because my foot doesn’t quite lift enough when tired and because of no feeling.
Long distances over 10 miles are difficult because it will trigger stiffness and swelling, but in beginning a trip to bathroom was a project
I was 55 when it happened, 69 now. Just don’t stop moving!
Hate the plates and screws…they ache in cold weather and getting hit with a foul ball is a bitch!
Best of luck!
Thank You! It is sad to me people have insulted you and the other writers. I’m so appreciative. I live in the country in one of those tiny towns where if you blink you miss the name as you drive through. I think very hard about what is written since we can’t see our neighbors houses. If things go very wrong we have family that will come here, which we will need to help protect the animals. I’m sure based on what I’ve read they would be stolen.
Again, I’m very Thankful for you and the others who give your time and wisdom to help me prepare.