Ready?
March 23, 2004
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Posted by Aubrey Turner
I saw an animated banner ad on some website today (can’t recall which one at the moment) for Ready.gov. The ad was a list of items that you should have on hand. It flashed some items then directed you to their site for the full list. The items specifically listed were a flashlight (I’ll give them this one; everyone should have one), a whistle (WTF?), and a radio (useful in some circumstances I suppose). Of course they left out an important area of SHTF preparedness, specifically the ability to protect yourself. And the most effective tool for such a purpose is the firearm.
I followed the link and looked around the site. They had some practical advice that would be good to follow for any emergency situation (food, water, medical supplies, etc). But not surprisingly, here’s what Ready.gov has to say on the topic:
Of course, I suppose saying nothing is better than what those GFB (Gun Fearing Bastards) would normally be inclined to say. They’d much prefer an unarmed herd to a self-sufficient/protecting pack. The radio and whistle are perfect giveaways to their agenda (sit back and wait for instructions; call for help from the “proper authorities”; don’t try to think/act for yourself). Until they acknowledge that citizens are the ones who will be on the front lines of anything that happens here at home I have no choice but to conclude that the DHS is fundamentally unserious about its mission.
Categories: Random Ramblings
No gold coins? Those are usually on the list. I can’t figure out how you get change from a gold coin – everything will cost exactly one gold coin – loaf of bread, canister of flour, pinch of salt.
I got curious, so I went out to try a couple of keywords you hadn’t mentioned. The result for ‘pistol’ was very interesting:
1. Ready.gov – Partners
…United States Postal Service The Yellow Pages Integrated Media Association HomeText Only VersionGlossaryEn Español Linking to Ready.govFAQAbout Ready.govUseful Links FeedbackPrivacyTer…
http://www.ready.gov/partners.html
The word ‘Postal’ in the first sentence was highlighted as the search match.
Roger
For some reason I find that amusing. So much so that I’ve grabbed a shot of that result and I’m going to put it up on the main page.
Whistles are good for signalling. Being cheap and plentiful, it’s not a bad idea to have one.
Change from a precious metal coin? Easy. Cut it, file it. If things have gone so south that we need precious metal coinage, the value is purely in the metal, not the “coin”, so do what people did Back In The Day, and simply part out the coin.
Also, that’s what silver is for.
More importantly, Ready.gov is about natural disasters and short-term upheaval from terror attacks, not for complete collapse of government and civil society.
(I imagine they don’t suggest a gun simply because of the huge amount of flak they’d take for it… plus I imagine most people who are willing to get a gun for such purposes, and have taken the steps needed to be competent to handle one hardly need to be told to do so. That and, again, given the short-term nature of the threats Ready is meant to help prepare for, a firearm is fairly low on the list, generally.)
I bet I can get change for my gold sovereign with a pistol…
But on the lighter side, the riots in LA and other places prove that prices go up, even in short term disasters, to what the merchant thinks they can get away with. You can’t convince me that gas in Chicago needs to be $2.50 a gallon due to the price of that supertanker’s worth when it was bought, transported, processed and delivered that somehow made it different than gas in western Indiana. If I fill up and have a gold coin worth $50, guess how much my $35 posted fill up costs? Maybe I could get some snacks with it…
Gold Coins?
Aw, come on. Everyone knows that the post apocalyptic economy will be run on Ammo, with .45acp/5.56 as the exchange standard.
Official TEOWAWKI Exchange rates:
1 .45acp = 1 .223
10 .22 lr = 1 .45acp
2 .45acp = 1 .308 (or 30-06)
2 9mm = 1 .45acp
I dont understand why people think gold, silver etc will be worth anything in a SHTF situation. I would much rather have a can of beans, or a few bullets, than a hunk of silver. Anyone know what a .50BMG would be worth on the TEOWAWKI exchange rate?
p.s. Our government is run (for the most part) by GFW’s
Stop it, you’re scaring the children over at Democratic Underground. A good shotgun is a must, but I have to give credit to Kim Dutoit for a fairly comprehensive SHTF list of required firearms. And for more fun check out his “Crossing America” post for lots of great ideas on the true essentials of survival. I would definitely add a shovel, axe, and bow-saw to the list of must haves. Oh yeah, and beer, doritoes, chips, porn, more beer…
SHTF gear:
Gun.
Knife.
zippo.
Boots.
Everything else you can scrounge or manufacture.
Firearms would certainly be on my list of the top two or three “tools” in most survival situations. But the single most important tool for anyone desiring to survive a major upheaval is located between your ears. Awareness, preparedness, maintaining calm, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to survive are all paramount to survival.
Mindset is probably the single most important factor determining survival in those circumstances! Having a CCW insures that there is always at least one firearm available for use.
Dave
I’m a silly comment troll from Leander, TX who is abusing my school’s computer system to post stupid comments to this website.
Ammo as exchange currency? You gotta be kidding? Those of us (most of us probably) who make our own can then “make money”? Isn’t one of the classic requirements for money that it be scarce? Ok, so I don’t have a recipe for “home made” Bullseye powder, but cases can be reused and bullets can be cast.