Fort Worth reporter looking for survivalists

[Grinnan Barrett]

Dear Melody:

As some of my fellow Preppers/Survivalists have put it, we are not one make up. You will find folks in this lifestyle tend to be more from the middle than either extreme. Many of the people who follow these sites are well educated and better read than the general public. All my kids have degrees. Both my wife and I are college grads. I don't personally know anyone who thinks they are Rambo. To most of us characters like that are sickening. Killing is not something any of us would want to do.

I was raised as a survivalist if you want to call us that. We believe you have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Survivalists tend to be optimists. We believe we can get through the tough times. We also believe we can help others get through as well. I truly hope you try and find the real "Survivalists" out there. You have people like Lowdown 3 who have paid their dues so to speak. Lowdown 3 is a business man who is also a survivalist. He is a family man who loves his wife and kid with all his heart.

We just want to get our families through the potentially bad times ahead. We pray that you will see that we are not the nuts many people would have you believe us to be. Best wishes on your story.

[startelegram]

Okay, I have another request: As I work on this story, it struck me today that everyone I have talked to are males, mostly in their 30s. I can hear the editors asking me now: "What about women?"
I know they are out there and I would like to have a least one in the story. I dont care if they live in my area or not. If you are a "survivalist" or a "prepper" and a female and don't mind answering a few questions about when you became a survivialist and why, please email me at mjmcdonald@star-telegram.com.
Story is starting to shape up. I've interviewed the owner of Best Prices, Storable Food and tomorrow, I'm going to visit with the a guy in Forney who manufactures disaster shelters. The economy is tanking but business is up for these guys, who specialize in making sure people are prepared.

[SkySlash]

My wife and I are both "survivalists" that live in Mansfield. I suppose I'd be willing to answer some questions, she probably would also.

I haven't read the full thread yet, so I'll need to find out what your story is looking to report before I'd be willing to participate.

-SS

[Dwind]

actually, there are several DOZEN regular women posters.

[possenti]

Just dropping by to mark this thread for when the article is published. I'd like to see it, and I predict it will be very fair-handed.

[Crutch]

Melody. This is important. PLEASE HEAR ME ON THIS!!

We have many trolls that pop in here. MANY. Usually 30 posts or less. That's just one days amount because they are jobless and can easily waste hours and hours being buttholes here. Please when you interview people, make sure they are real.

I have seen a HUGE rash of Obama Trolls when I posted something about that clown. This is to be expected, and my brothers here warned me about it. Please also consider that if someone has no thanks, no posts, then they are not qualified to count as one of us.

However, we do have many good ladies here who are survivalists. You might try posting this again, in the Ladies section. Truth be told, I have never clicked on that area. Its like a womans purse, I can't touch it. Big no no. (5 sisters, might have effected me)

At any route, AWESOME job on being thorough! I already think you are pretty professional and I appreciate your hard work.

[whiteskunk]

I too await the "article".
WS

[Txkstew]

Melody,
You couldn't have picked a better site, at which to do your research. Good luck.

P.S.
You should think about doing a follow up story on that "Lon Horiuchi bastard" assassin from Ruby Ridge fame, just to see how life is for him. I personally hope he's turned into a skid row drunk.

[Crutch]

Originally Posted by Txkstew

Melody,
You couldn't have picked a better site, at which to do your research. Good luck.

P.S.
You should think about doing a follow up story on that "Lon Horiuchi bastard" assassin from Ruby Ridge fame, just to see how life is for him. I personally hope he's turned into a skid row drunk.

If you did that... Wow... I get goose bumps just thinking about it. You would have my eternal respect. Someone to bring back to light Ruby Ridge... That would be something I could never miss, and would DEFINITELY pay to see. As in unreasonable priced pay to see.

Lon is the epidimy of evil, and is the poster child for the American Demise in Freedom. When God calls us home, and the Devil takes his throne, Lon Horiuchi will be on the devils right knee... And Janet Reno will have the devil on hers.

[Dwind]

shes too damn tall for it to be otherwise

[Cryptkeeper]

i would love to see the article the reporter is allowed to post

[GreyOne]

Originally Posted by startelegram

Just now gettting back to reading some of the posts. There is one thing I want to point out. Several comments have been made about the Star-Telegram being a "liberal" newspaper and that I shouldn't be trusted because I work here, or things to that effect. I think people get that impression because of some our columnists, who get to write their opinions on a variety of topics.

[Nope, opinion here is based on the Editorial choice of what
news to cover, what to ignore.]

I don't write my opinion. I am not a columnist. I interview people and accurately report what they say. I do not judge. In my interviews, I'm not asking subjects what political party they are from. Likewise, I dont care what their religion or nationality is. The story is about people - of all ages, all occupations, all over the country - who have decided that they need to prepare themselves for a natural disaster or worse. There is a growing movement out there made up of people who, because of 9-11 or Katrina or the economy, are scared and taking steps to protect themselves and their family. That is what I have learned over the past few days and that is what I'm writing about.

I can point out that the ST Editorial board chooses liberal columnists 5 to 1. Not passing judgment on you, per se. You are however working for an organization with built in editorial bias, and it is one for which many of us have lost ALL respect. That is part of the reason it is cutting staff, and shrinking the paper. The readership is declining and at least part of that is because many, like me, find little in the Startle Gram worth reading. Even the local coverage is very poor.
When the comics is the ONLY part of the paper worth reading, it would seem the paper is not serving its readership well.
Best of luck, but don't expect any more trust from us than you get from the local LEO's.

[HotPrepper]

http://www.star-telegram.com/local/story/1299768.html

Dallas-Fort Worth's 'modern survivalists' are ready for layoffs -- or war
By MELODY McDONALD
mjmcdonald@star-telegram.com
Related Content
Jack Spirko of Arlington records a survivalist podcast during his daily commute; he says it has an audience of 4,000. He also grows much of his family’s food in a backyard garden and has been stockpiling food, water, gas, guns and ammunition for several years.

Jack Spirko owns a media company, is married to a nurse and has a son in college. He has two dogs and lives in a nice house with a pool in a diversified neighborhood in Arlington.

Spirko, 36, considers himself an average guy with a normal life.

But for the past few years, Spirko has been stockpiling food, water, gas, guns and ammunition. He also has a load of red wine, Starbucks coffee and deodorant stashed away.

"I refer to myself as a modern survivalis
t, which means I don’t do without," Spirko explained. "I have a nice TV; I have nice furniture. We are not living in the sticks, but I take all of these things very seriously."

Spirko, an Army veteran and self-described "stark-raving-mad Libertarian," is part of a growing movement of people who are preparing for a disaster — natural, economic or man-made. Referred to as "modern survivalists" or "preppers," they are taking steps to protect and provide for their families should something bad happen.

Theirs is a different breed of survivalist, far from the (article continues...)

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I thought this piece was executed quite well. Very matter-of-fact and straight to the point . Thank you Melody!

[mastersergeant]

Originally Posted by HotPrepper

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I thought this piece was executed quite well. Very matter-of-fact and straight to the point . Thank you Melody!

I listen to Jack Spirco's podcast every weekday and go to his forum a couple times a day to see what is going on over there.

[Mtnman Mike]

I liked most of this article except the few excerpts I will now post>

"But for the past few years, Spirko has been stockpiling food, water, gas, guns and ammunition. He also has a load of red wine, Starbucks coffee and deodorant stashed away."

WHY did I not think of Starbucks coffee and deodorant?? Best survival preps that no true survivalist should Ever do without!

"Theirs is a different breed of survivalist, far from the right-wing militants or religious extremists who hole up in bunkers, live off the land and wait for the apocalypse."

I am not right wing or religious. I believe in the Bible but the wilderness is my church. I know of No one who is capable of living off the land for more than a Few days anyway. And No one waiting for the apocalypse in a bunker. I own a bunker (just in case and for storage) and remote mtn survival retreat and this is a BAD thing?

"Mills said he didn’t choose the "survivalist" label, but others have called him that.
"The word brings to my mind an image of a gruff mountain man with a log cabin, 10 years of food stored up and enough guns to outfit a small army," he said. "I don’t meet that image at all."

Not for everyone to do and I certainly Hope not even half, not even 1/10th do that but pleazze do Not make it sound like a mtn man with a cabin etc. etc. and bunker etc. is a Bad thing!

Many begin with ridicule for survivalists. Then something happens to wake them up. Then they begin to prep some, buy some supplies etc. Do a little more, learn some more. and more. HOPEfully someday they will learn enough and see that an underground shelter for use as a Storm shelter would be good to have. Even a storm/tornado/fallout/storage shelter, maybe even a safe room, is a Good thing and may very well save their rears as well as their loved ones!

Glad to see this in the article> "Walton McCarthy, owner and principal engineer of Radius Engineering International, builds underground disaster shelters that protect against nuclear, chemical and biological warfare, among other things.

He said his business has tripled since July, when reports of Iranian missile tests surfaced. McCarthy’s disaster shelters hold 10 to 300 people and cost $105,000 to $6 million. His customers include politicians, doctors and key executives."

But I would put my $2,000 underground shelter up against even a million dollar one. Mine is not fancy but I think could hold ten people although 3 max, would be best. I can and might make it much longer. And I know how strong my underground shelter is and location is the key. If people would know exactly where my mtn place and "bunker" is they would know that it is better than a million dollar disaster shelter in a city.

I have believed for a long time - WHY should the rich politicians, doctors and KEY people have the underground shelters-mansions to survive - Whatever may happen? Just ONE more reason I have built my underground shelter on good mtn land > http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=42447

[Txkstew]

Not bad, kind of neutral. Not real inspiring. I'd give it a "B". Lamb had the best quote in the article.

[Dwind]

she almost always does

[jordanmills]

Hey, I'm in it!

... she didn't give me a chance to comment on the part about me before publication like she said she would.