A
Suggested Survival List
by
Chuck Baldwin
December 15, 2009
RaidersNewsNetwork
One does not have to be a prophet to
know that we are on the precipice of
some potentially catastrophic--or at
the very least, challenging--days. In
fact, most of us are already in
challenging days, and some are already
enduring catastrophic events. That is,
if one would call being out of work,
losing one's home, facing
life-threatening medical conditions
without any prospect of medical
insurance, several families being
forced to live in one house due to
homes being foreclosed, etc.,
catastrophic.
The
potential for an escalation of
cataclysmic events, however, is very
real. Only a "blooming
idiot" would call someone who
attempts to prepare for "the day
of adversity" a Chicken Little
now. Anyone who does not see the storm
clouds on the horizon isn't paying
attention.
For
example, can one imagine what would
happen if terrorists nuked a major
American city or cities? (Once again,
I encourage readers to go get the
videos of the CBS TV series
"Jericho" to get an idea of
how quickly life, and even
civilization, could change.) Imagine
if there was another 9/11-type event.
What would happen if some form of
Zimbabwe-style inflation hit the US?
What would happen if anything
disrupted the distribution of Welfare
checks, or food to local grocers?
Imagine a Hurricane Katrina-style
natural disaster in your town. I think
people everywhere are beginning to
awaken to just how vulnerable we all
really are.
As
a result, people from virtually every
walk of life have recently been asking
my thoughts on how they should
prepare. Therefore, I will attempt to
share with my readers some of the
counsel I have given these folks.
First,
a disclaimer. I am not an economist; I
am not a survival expert; I am not a
firearms expert; I am not an attorney;
I am not a physician. In fact, I am
not an expert in anything! For several
years, however, I have tried to learn
from others. I am an avid reader. My
work has allowed me to travel
extensively. I have had the privilege
of sitting at the feet of--and
learning from--many of America's most
learned, most trained, and most
qualified "experts" in a
variety of fields. What I write today,
I have learned from others. I've
formed my own opinions and priorities,
of course, but everything I'm sharing
has been said, or written about,
before. But if I can share something
in today's column that will help
someone be better prepared for the
days to come, then my goal will have
been achieved.
Location:
First,
analyze your living conditions. Where
do you live? Do you live in an urban
or rural environment? Is it a big city
or small town? Do you live in an
apartment or condominium? How close
are your neighbors? Do you even know
your neighbors? Would you trust them
if the electricity was off and they
were hungry? Could you grow your own
food, if you had to? How easily could
you secure your home? If you live in a
cold weather environment, how long
could you stay warm without
electricity? These are the kinds of
questions you need to ask yourself
now.
Over
the past several decades, masses of
people have migrated into large
metropolitan areas. More people live
in urban areas than at any time in
American history. While this may be
well and good for times of prosperity,
it is an absolute nightmare in any
kind of disaster. Does anyone remember
what New Orleans looked like after
Hurricane Katrina came through? Can
anyone recall what happened in
downtown Los Angeles during the 1992
riots? Needless to say, any inner-city
environment could become a powder keg
almost instantaneously, given the
right (or wrong) circumstances. And
the bigger the city, the bigger the
potential problems.
If
you live in the inner city, I suggest
you consider moving to a more rural
location. Obviously, now is a very
good time to buy property (especially
rural property), but the downside is,
selling property is not as favorable.
If you can afford it, now is a great
time to buy a "safe house"
outside the city. If you are fortunate
enough to have family or some true
friends nearby, you might want to put
your heads--and some
resources--together in preparation for
serious upheaval. Obviously, a team of
prepared people is much better than
being alone.
If
you must stay in your urban location,
have some commonsense plans in hand in
the event of a major disaster. Get to
know your neighbors: find out whom you
can trust and whom you can't. Keep
some extra gasoline on hand, in case
you need to get in your car quickly
and leave. Have several exit routes
planned ahead of time, in case roads
are blocked. Have a
"bug-out" bag containing
essential ingredients to live on for 3
or 4 days. If leaving is not an
option, have a plan to secure your
home as best you can. You'll need to
think about things such as food,
water, medicine, warmth, self-defense,
etc. But at this point, to do nothing
is absolute lunacy!
Provisions:
During
a major disaster, food will quickly
disappear. Living for over 3 decades
on the Gulf Coast, I can tell you with
absolute certainty that whenever
disaster strikes (usually an
approaching hurricane, for us), food
and provisions at the store sell
completely out in a matter of a few
hours. People panic, and within hours,
you cannot find food, bottled water,
ice, generators, batteries, candles,
etc. In a matter of hours, every gas
station in the area will be completely
out of gas. Not days. Hours!
Furthermore,
almost all disasters include a
complete loss of electricity. The
water supply is compromised. Bottled
water becomes more valuable than bank
accounts. Dehydration becomes a very
real and present danger. I remember
witnessing a man offer an ice vendor
$100 for an extra bag of ice during
Hurricane Ivan. My wife and I went 2
weeks (14 days) without electricity in
the aftermath of that hurricane.
Believe me, I got a taste of just how
precious bottled water, ice,
batteries, generators, fuel, etc., can
become.
I
suggest you have a supply of food and
water to last at least 2 weeks. A
month would be even better.
Personally, I can live a long time on
tuna fish or peanut butter. You can
purchase MREs from a variety of
sources, as well as
"camp-style" packaged food
from stores such as Academy Sports
& Outdoors. Of course, bottled
water is available everywhere during
normal times. Stock up! Plus, I
suggest you have some water
purification tablets or a Katadyn
water filter on hand. And, if you are
able, prepare to grow your own food.
Canning food is another very helpful
hedge against deprivation. If your
parents were like mine, this was
standard operating procedure.
Get
a generator. Keep a supply of fuel on
hand. Stay stocked up on batteries,
candles, portable lights, first aid
supplies, and personal hygiene
items--especially toilet paper. Trust
me, during times of intense and
prolonged disaster, toilet paper could
become more valuable than money. I
also suggest you never run out of
lighters or matches. You never know
when you'll need to build a fire, and
during a prolonged survival situation,
fire could save your life. If you live
in a cold weather climate, you
probably already have some sort of
wood stove or fireplace.
Obviously,
you need to take stock of your
clothing. Do you have clothes suitable
for extended outdoor activity? What
about boots? During a disaster, you
would trade your best suit from Neiman
Marcus for a good pair of boots. Do
you have gloves? Insulated underwear?
What about camouflage clothing? These
could become essential outerwear in
the right conditions. Plus, any
"bug-out" bag will need to
include spare clothing.
And
one more suggestion, while we're on
this subject: the best resources in
the world are of little use if one is
physically incapable of making good
use of them. In other words, GET IN
SHAPE. During any kind of emergency
situation, physical exertion and
stamina become immensely important.
Commodities:
I
suggest you have at least some cash on
hand. Just about any and all disasters
will result in banks being closed for
extended periods of time. That also
means credit card purchases being
suspended. You need to have enough
cash to be able to purchase essential
goods (if they are even available) for
an undetermined amount of time.
Of
course, some survival gurus insist
that during any cataclysmic climate,
precious metals will become the only
reliable currency. But when most of us
are trying to feed our families and
pay our bills, it is difficult to get
excited about buying gold and silver.
Obviously, I would never recommend
that anyone jeopardize the present on
the altar of the future. My parents
made it through the Great Depression
with canned goods and garden
vegetables; gold and silver were
certainly not a priority with them.
And maybe it should not be with you,
either?
In
fact, in a disaster, what is
considered a valuable commodity can
change rather quickly, as the barter
system takes a life of its own. What
is valuable is determined by what you
need and how badly you need it. In a
prolonged disaster, simple things such
as toilet paper, canned goods,
ammunition, and clothing could become
extremely valuable; while cars, video
games, televisions, etc., could be
reduced to junk status. In antiquity,
wars were fought over things such as
salt.
Speaking
of cars, remember that during a
prolonged "national
emergency" that might involve
some sort of nuclear attack or
widespread civil unrest, an
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) might be
employed; in which case, most every
late model vehicle would be completely
inoperable. Accordingly, if one can
keep an older, pre-computer-age
vehicle in good working order, he or
she might be driving the only
non-government vehicle capable of
going anywhere.
Self-Defense:
Needless
to say, during any kind of disaster,
your safety and protection will be
completely up to you. If you really
think that the police are going to be
able to protect you during an
upheaval, you are living in a
dreamworld.
In
both the New Orleans and Los Angeles
disasters, police protection was
non-existent. Lawless gangs quickly
took control of the streets, and
people were left to either defend
themselves or swiftly become the
helpless prey of violent marauders. In
fact, in New Orleans, some of the
policemen actually abandoned their
oaths to uphold the law and joined
with the criminals, turning their
weapons upon the public.
Face
it, folks: in any kind of disaster,
you must be able to defend yourself,
or you and your family will be meat
for these animals of society that will
quickly descend without mercy upon the
unprepared, unsuspecting souls around
them. This requires that you be armed!
It also requires that you be skilled
enough to be able to efficiently use
your arms.
Therefore,
I strongly suggest that you purchase
firearms sufficient to keep you and
your family safe, and also that you
practice sufficiently to know how to
proficiently use them.
Now,
when it comes to a discussion of which
firearms are preferable for
self-defense, the suggestions are as
varied as the people who proffer them.
These are my suggestions:
I
believe every man (along with his wife
and children of adequate age) should
be proficient with the following
weapons: a handgun in .38 caliber or
above, a .22 rifle, a center-fire
hunting rifle, a semi-automatic battle
rifle, and a shotgun.
My
personal preference for a self-defense
handgun is either a .45 ACP 1911
(either Colt or Kimber) or a .40
S&W. In the .40 caliber, my
favorite is a Glock 23. In the 1911, I
like the Commander size configuration.
I also like the Glock 30 and 36 in .45
caliber. My wife prefers to carry a
Smith & Wesson .38 caliber
revolver in the snub-nose, J-frame
configuration. But this is primarily
due to the reduced weight of these
weapons for carry purposes. If needed,
she could make a good accounting of
herself with a Glock 19 in 9mm. If you
are someone who has never owned and
seldom fired a handgun, I recommend
you buy a Glock. They are as simple as
revolvers to operate, reliable, and
almost indestructible. Plus, they
provide increased magazine capacity,
and are safe. They are also very easy
to disassemble and clean.
For
a .22 rifle, I really like the Ruger
10/22. For a hunting rifle, my
suggestion is either a .270 or .30-06
caliber bolt-action rifle. (If I had
to pick one, I'd pick the .30-06.) I
prefer the Remington Model 700 BDL,
but there are several fine weapons in
this configuration and caliber by
numerous manufacturers. For a battle
rifle, I suggest an AR-15-style weapon
in .223 caliber. Here I prefer a
Bushmaster. (Please, I don't need to
hear from all you .308 lovers out
there. I love the Springfield M1A,
too.) For a shotgun, I suggest a
12-gauge pump. Here I prefer a
Winchester Model 1300, which is not
made anymore. So, you'll probably have
to choose between Mossberg and
Remington.
Whatever
you choose, practice with it to the
point that you are able to use it
proficiently. And be sure you stock up
on ammunition. A gun without ammo is
reduced to being either an expensive
club or a cumbersome paperweight.
Spiritual
Power:
I
firmly believe that man is created to
have fellowship with his Creator-God.
I really don't know how people can
face the uncertain future that we
currently face without the spiritual
knowledge, wisdom, comfort, and power
that is made available through Jesus
Christ. I believe the maxim is true:
"Wise men still seek Him." I
strongly suggest that you seek to
possess a personal relationship with
God's only begotten Son.
That
we are facing challenging days is a
certainty. Exactly what that means is
yet to be determined. I trust that
some of my suggestions will help you
be better prepared for what lies
before us.
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©
Chuck Baldwin
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