What you call SHTF, I call The Big Event, and its aftermath The Ordeal.
Please describe for us the specific scenario that you think would drive the entire nation into anarchy. I have seen it on local levels, during Katrina and the Detroit and LA Riots.
I live in a rather isolated area where I cannot imagine a Big Event happening. When I take out my road atlas and look at the map of the United States I really cannot think of an event that would lead to survival mode all over the country. Not since the nuclear threat of the Cold War seems to be abated.
I can envision deep recession or depression. But I don't personally think that would cause society to break down to a dog eat dog mentality.
Please post your ideas about this. When you lay in all your supplies and equipment what specific threat(s) are you preparing against? Are the threats local or nation wide?
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We old dogs can learn new tricks. We just may not like performng them. TJ
[quote=Triggerjerk;326304]
I can envision deep recession or depression. But I don't personally think that would cause society to break down to a dog eat dog mentality.
I totally disagree. In my opinion, a deep recession (like the Great Depression) would most certainly throw everyone into a dog-eat-dog mentality. We, as a society, have lost the work ethic - we want something for nothing. Look at our "entitlement" programs that encourage this behavior. SO another Great Depression would be the event that I would look at.
Many have said another Great Depression is impossible because our government has taken steps to prevent this. I say that the very steps the govenment has taken to prevent another depression in the short term (i.e. the 20th Century) put us at risk for the big one now that it is the 21st century.
It feels good to get that off my chest!
__________________ I reserve the right to be wrong.
Agreeing with you on that, I think that oil will be the cause of it. There is so much instability in oil producing regions that we could see big shortages.
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We old dogs can learn new tricks. We just may not like performng them. TJ
The only thing that I see causing everyone in the U.S. to get off their lazy a**es and fight, would be an actual nuclear attack on American soil.
I see a large faction of Muslim extremists uniting to assemble and detonate a nuke in a major metropolitan area of the U.S. I would guess that they would choose an area that they know has a heavily armed populace but that will not block their entrance into the country. This makes Houston a prime spot as it would eliminate hundreds of thousands of armed citizens and military personnel in one shot but the radiation wouldn't reach far enough west to stop egress.
This will open the door for all of their "troops" already in place in Mexico and S. America, who will then flood our southern border from Tx. to Ca.,using weapons supplied by our "friends" in Mexico. At the same time, the Islamists will also be streaming in from Canada where millions are already ensconced. If this ever comes to pass, all of the gunshops along our borders will be the first targets in order to A. Arm the incoming fighters and, B. Deny arms to citizens who might fight but who haven't prepared for the possibility.
The only viable threat I see occuring that would take in the entire nation (indeed the world!) would be a total breakdown of the economy - to include cessation of all major production and transport. The stores will sell out and be emptied in three days or less. No resupply.
In two weeks, people wil be starving and willing to do ANYTHING to eat. That's when things get real interesting . . .
I can envision several scenarios that would cause national/world threat events.
Several EMP blasts through out the country in strategic locations would bring us to a halt. The terrorist don't even require nuclear material to make this a reality. Plans for building an EMP machine can be acquired very easily and I'm sure they more than have the technological know how to build it.
The results of several EMP blasts would cause societal chaos and total crash of our economical infrastructure. If the US economy crashes so will the economies of the rest of the world who are dependent on US purchasing. Rioting will start probably before very long, the cities will turn into killing fields with no way of escaping except on foot. Those in the suburbs will be swarmed from the refugees escaping the cities, this will leave the suburbs with no food except for what some may have stored prior to the attack. In the country the results will be a bit better if they can organize. Feed for the animals will have to be consolidated, medical care will be limited to the local doctors and whatever medications they have on hand. This is probably a very limited view on how bad it would actually be.
The other scenario I can easily see being accomplished is dividing the Nation in two by blowing up the bridges that cross the Mississippi River. I believe their are less than 300 bridges that cross the river and that includes railroad bridges. Not all of these bridges can handle truck traffic due to weight restrictions. So say the number of actual commerce bridges is around 200, probably much lower. It wouldn't be that difficult to coordinate truck bombs or other explosives to go off at roughly the same time. How long do you believe the East Coast could last without food supplies coming in from the West? This again would cause the Market to crash and have a ripple affect across the world.
Lets see, recent events, reports of spraying of some chemical in a food store and a library in Michigan, resulting in birds dying, also reports of someone spraying and killing rats in the Washington DC subway.
Stay tuned. Things might be getting very interesting.
Greetings everyone and Merry Christmas. I just realized that I never posted on the forum. Going to change that.
Guess I need to buy some more 270 shells. I'm one of those guys that has a couple of extra boxes around, but certainly not a major stash.
In my opinion, for a true SHTF scenario to develop, it would take a nuclear attack in more than a couple major US cities. Our national government would have to not exist. That includes the state governments. I think in a big emergency, the states would gear up for the situation and then we'd pick up the pieces as long as a China or Russia doesn't roll in behind the attack.
Our government has its problems, but it does have flexibility built into it. I wonder how survivalable it will be after a major nuclear attack?? You can find yourself a cave, mine, or tunnel and set up residence, but you still have the issue of radiation being spread by the winds. Life would not be pleasant, but I'd perservere.
I would not choose my 270 overall, but I would certainly use it for hunting where it really counts to hit and kill what you are trying to put in the pot. 22rf would be my primary choice for survival.
I believe it would take a nuclear or major biological attack to push the USA into a survial mentality where government breaks down. Even if DC did not exist, you would still have the state governments that have survived and they would be very active. When you think about it, the US has so many safeguards built into the "system" that it would be difficult for things to break down totally. I do think many folks would have to seek a new way to make a living and that would be quite challenging.
