I have some bad news for you. If everyone in America was to start right now getting prepared, there would be nothing left on the shelves in the first day. You are talking about each person in the country accumulating one years worth of goods in a short period of time. It's not there and it wont be there. Just in time shipping practices being used in stores guarantees that it will never happen. this is going to be a major calamity and 75%+ will die of starvation.

 

I for one think it would have been a great stimulus plan.: Better than just flushing the money down the toilet. I mean millions spent on billboards to say "this project brought to you by the Gov. stimulus plan". This is just one of a jillion feel good, wast of time and $ "solutions".
A small add campaign about the realities of today's world to open the sheeple's eyes would have been great. Then again I already have my preps set aside and would not have to worry about paying $75 for a 50 count box of 9mm.:thumb:

 

I'm a big fan of GB myself and listen to his radio show just about everyday and have been watching his TV show all last week. I have heard him mention what you are talking about.

I don't think that he is thinking about the whole picture when he talks about helping others. He is not thinking about the fact that we all don't have some sort of hideaway like I'm sure he has by now. I don't think that he is considering the violence that can come from those who have not prepared and the mindset that desperate people will be in to get food for their families. I really think that we need to be mindful of OPSEC. It's hard to tell people about the need to prepare without also letting them know that's what you are doing.

I think it would be best to help others by being able to teach them a skill that would improve their lives or help to provide food.

 

Glen Beck is right. If you live in a constructive neighborhood where people will learn and prepare, you will have made your own life more secure by helping others.

If you live in an entitlement mentality neighborhood, you need to leave right now. These folks will rob and burn as soon as they no longer fear the cops. Nothing you say or do is going to change them.

Step one is correctly reading your area.

 

Well said, We moved in 2008 and got out far enough that only a few bad element may make it out this way. Most of the locals out here are already set up. Gardens,food plots, canning supplies and much much more. One of my neighbors built a wood gasifier two years ago that runs his 4 cylinder car engine powered generator. The guy is very smart and is going to help me build a small one for our little place. Most of our neighbors are prepped to some extent,others just live that way. We have farms within 7 miles and orchards within 5 miles. Lots of self sufficient folks out here.

It is my hope that much of the bad element will be taken out by law enforcement early and that lack of gasoline will keep raiders from looking out here. Kingfish

 

That is certainly the case here in Australia too.

Super markets in rural areas run out of stock with in two days of deliveries on a normal trading week.

 

First of all, I would consider the source. My personal opinion is that talking heads on TV and radio are usually not the best sources of info for making prep-related decisions.

Second, I think that you will rarely go wrong keeping silent about the amount of emergency supplies you have stored. However, just one incident where you mentioned to someone about just how much stuff you have stockpiled can easily come back around to create big problems for you. Consider that it is not just that one person that you talked to. It is him/her......plus anyone else they might happen to mention that info to.

An exception to this is that you *might* be able to get someone thinking about buying emergency supplies by mentioning the possibility of weather-related emergencies.....especially if you live in an area where Winter brings a lot of snow and ice, etc. (This is my fall-back explanation to any sharp-eyed store cashier, who mentions the fact that my purchases look like I am preparing for "something". I just smile and say that I got caught without much in my home during a big Winter blizzard a couple of years ago....and I don't want to repeat that mistake.)

This comment has worked EVERY time to divert attention from what I am buying in a store. The cashier promptly nods in agreement and immediately loses interest in whatever I am purchasing. So, the wake-up attempt doesn't work. But, it does cause people to lose interest in what is in my shopping cart.

Third.......you are NOT responsible for preparation (or the lack of it) for anyone else.....except possibly your family members and/or close trusted friends of long acquaintance. No matter how sincerely motivated you are......you cannot save the whole world. Just one little corner of it. Maybe.

And, yeah.......I know I seem cynical and paranoid. And, I probably am. LOL

 

First of all, I would consider the source. My personal opinion is that talking heads on TV and radio are usually not the best sources of info for making prep-related decisions.

Second, I think that you will rarely go wrong keeping silent about the amount of emergency supplies you have stored. An exception to this is that you *might* be able to get someone thinking about buying emergency supplies by mentioning the possibility of weather-related emergencies.....especially if you live in an area where Winter brings a lot of snow and ice, etc.

Third.......you are NOT responsible for preparation (or the lack of it) for anyone else.....except possibly your family members and/or close trusted friends of long acquaintance. No matter how sincerely motivated you are......you cannot save the whole world. Just one little corner of it. Maybe.

And, yeah.......I know I seem cynical and paranoid. And, I probably am. LOL

Not cynical and paranoid...realistic is more like it.

Community preparedness for just a few weeks would help the community start helping each other, which would put your own preps in far less danger. We are not islands by ourselves. The best way to keep your stores is if others around you also have them. That "one little corner" around you is what counts.

Preparations for natural emergencies is what the town can do for itself, and that's what you can advocate others do without letting them know how much you have. By the time the two weeks' worth of food in the community runs out, they can have an organization in place to deal with the situation better without letting panic run wild, and the atmosphere could be built for cooperation instead of each man for himself. This may work only in small towns or even less populated counties, but that would be a start at least there.

I agree OPSEC has to be maintained beyond what you have for a few days.

 

Beck is already a target for every kook out there, so he has nothing to lose through OPSEC. His main function is more to wake up the masses individually, as he has a great deal of influence.

I think there are ways of waking up the masses without revealing your own preps...it's a matter of finding those ways. I think that would be a good thread here. If at least your own neighbors were more aware, that would help you. Or if a small town would prep so that the community could work together after SHTF, that would make everyone more secure.

I think waking up the people would best be done through community groups that are already out there...churches, local fraternal organizations, disaster groups, etc...if some of them could be convinced to spread the word, it would help. A group could even pass out brochures in front of a local grocery store. There are other ways to work as a group where you are anonymous that could be used without compromising your own preps. You could advocate community gardens, as a small start.

 

Beck is already a target for every kook out there, so he has nothing to lose through OPSEC.

That is very true ... more than most people know. He's had so many death threats that his security is now probably better than the President's. Seriously.

 

Gas stations here get an average of 2 fuel deliveries each. Sometimes 3.

 

I give Beck a lot of credit. I was listening to his radio show the other day and along with gold he's now doing commercials for some brand of freeze dried prep food (didn't pay that much attention because I'm not too big on freeze dried). After the commercial, he said "yes that was a paid advertisement but I don't really care if you buy this particular brand, if you choose not to buy it get SOMETHING and store a years worth of food. AND DON'T GO INTO DEBT TO DO IT."

 

has anyone here bought food or anything else that advertises on beck's show?

 

I've come to question the whole OPSEC issue.

There's a line in one of Mathew Bracken's books (I think it's Foreign Enemies and Domestic Traitors) where he says something like "Most people starved to death in bed under a pile of blankets."

I think that best describes the fate of middle class white America if things get really bad.

That said, I'd move away from any ghetto areas.

If you're in a "safe" neighborhood, and armed, you have little to worry about IMO.
If things go "Mad Max" and biker gangs roam the land, all bets are off - even out in the sticks.

That aside, your biggest concern will be the hassle of turning away friends and family and making potential enemies should we ever get out of the mess. JMHO.

 

That said, I'd move away from any ghetto areas.

If you're in a "safe" neighborhood, and armed, you have little to worry about IMO.
If things go "Mad Max" and biker gangs roam the land, all bets are off - even out in the sticks.

That aside, your biggest concern will be the hassle of turning away friends and family and making potential enemies should we ever get out of the mess. JMHO.

Valid. Sounds pretty reasonable to me. My aunt is kind of one those "Government will provide" types.

 

WOW!!! just think of it,If everyone in the US all of the sudden picked up a years supply!!!!........That would be 300 million years worth!!!!

 

It would end the recession immediately. And kick off inflation, because we'd all be bidding for an undersupply of goods.

 

I remember CD Civil Defense, there were supplies at the town hall. Why can't that be brought back in a modified way? I have begun to store food, water is my next step and an alternate power source. MOst people have no interest or understanding. @ weeks prior to the elections gas jumped up in price and so did food. Is it the begining?

 

I don’t think it is the beginning because I think we are already in the middle of something. At times we can get so busy waiting for TEOTWAWKI that we forget the SHTF is happening all around us on a smaller scale every day. For the guy who has lost his job, house and is watching his marriage crumble under the pressure his world is ending and will never be the same again. A lot of bad stuff is happening to a great many good people and much of their suffering could have been avoided with a little planning.

I guess that is why I like Glen’s idea but I really can’t shake my fears and just admit to people that I am prepping. Maybe I can just start a lot of extra tomato plants etc. and give them out to people to get them to start gardening. I guess every little bit counts but I just hate to see so many people blindly wandering on the edge of the abyss.

 

I do so hate him.

He's only talking about the Mormon tenant of having food for a year, please dont give that git credit for anything good.

 

Don't let your hate for the man overshadow the message that he shared with people. He can reach millions with his programs and even if 1% take heed, that is more than you could hope to influence in a lifetime by yourself.

 

You can not help or educate the masses without getting some of it on you..

 

I am personally on the fence about Glenn Beck. I like his show and think he makes some valid points (loved the puppet master series), but I think that I don't like HIM. He seems kind of arrogant and phoney. I am new to his show and have only been catching a couple episodes here and there, so the jury is still out.

I also dislike the fact that he is in bed with that GOLDLINE company. They are serious rip off artists. Gold is fine and dandy, but not at the premiums they charge. That definately hurt his credibility in my eyes. I still am downloading his book "Broke" tomorrow to listen to in the car!

Anyway, I digress. As far as waking everyone else up to prepping, I have only gotten my mom and a couple of close friends on board. I know this sounds crappy, but I am kind of counting on the massive die off during the first winter. If everyone were to survive it, then we will all be running out of preps at the same time. If that happens, us preppers will be back to square one of being in the same boat as the sheeple.

I don't want to be fighting over hunting and fishing territory with 1000 other folks. I want to sit back with my friends and family and wait till the chaos dies down before venturing out in the world to see what is left to rebuild.

 

I know this sounds crappy, but I am kind of counting on the massive die off during the first winter. If everyone were to survive it, then we will all be running out of preps at the same time. If that happens, us preppers will be back to square one of being in the same boat as the sheeple.

I have to agree:
That is about the only workable survival strategy in a complete collapse.
There are very very few of us who can be self sufficient long term. I'd venture to say that even the Amish would have a hard time in a total collapse though they'd fare better than most of us.
You'd really have to have primitive your farming skills down and be surrounded by a community with other skills (weaving cloth, for example).

Outside of a massive pandemic, I don't think a complete collapse is coming.
The best people can do is prepare themselves and their kids for a 3rd world lifestyle (maybe 2 & 1/2 world) and get ready for a few periods of mayhem on the way down.

 

Anyone who plans on going to a BOL if things get bad has an opportunity to help others by making suggestions, etc. But if all your stuff is at home and you're bugging in, then it becomes more risky.

 

I saw the same episode of Glen's show. He got my attention when he started talking prepping. I am glad he did if it causes one more set of eyes to open up. Now, sharing my preps is a tough idea and I'm not sure what I'll do if/when I have to make that decision.

One thing I'm pretty sure I NEVER heard Glen say: Put a sign of the side of your house that says "FREE FOOD"

The SHTF, travel and trade are interrupted, my neighbors have helped me do things and while I am helping him do someting he says "Not sure what I'm gonna do. Our pantry is empty; I widh I had more,,,"
Now, this is NOT some looter. This is my neighbor. His girls grew up with my sons. Would I NOT help him? You can feel sure I'd give him greif about not being ready and he'd probably eat lighter than I would but I'd probably help him out,,,
The guy who showed up from God knows where and thinks he can "ask and recieve?",,,,,yeah, probably not,,,,

 

first off: the man is in business - like him or not - valid points or not - it's a business.
If he can get you to help him promote product sales of the companies that advertise with him..then he's done his job as a business man.

Second - I have to believe that he does care and believe in what he presents.
If you consider the sheer hours he puts in - radio show, tv show, prep time for both, conferences across the country, book writing/co-writing, extra appearances on other Fox shows and the constant hate on his life.

Third - he is having an impact - his market share is huge and I can tell when people have been listening to him cause they tend to come around us and start asking questions or parroting something they've heard him say.

That's when we carefully measure out those various people. Some are just carrying the fear that he has instilled and will continue to do basically nothing - will not stock up, not arm up, not vote from an educated standpoint, etc.
then there are some who, with a little mentorship, will begin the prep process.

I've seen both sides..and the prep side is much more rare.

Only time most folks prep - is when the Weather channel is showing the storm is less than 6 hrs away.

 

Not to mention all of the fuel it will take to drop ship all of that food!!!

 

He is a business like most of your television evangelist. The state of Missouri had regulated Joyce Meyers as a business instead of a chuch and did away with her tax exempt status. Of course 9 out of 10 television evangelist are frauds anyway....Maybe I need my own church?

 

Beck is only trying to wake ppl up to what he truely believes is coming.
Most of the folks on this site also believe something "may" be coming, "otherwise why are you here ?" .
As far as Goldline goes, he tells you why he buys gold, he also tells you it may not be right for you, check it out and then decide.
If you don't watch him on FOX, or listen to him on the radio, you are speaking from ignorance. So shut the pie hole.

 

I have been watching Beck on Fox since day 1. I gave him a week and I was hooked. He may get a bit preachy, but that goes with the territory. The latest buzz word adjective is to " Evangelize" a cause and he is now doing that. Being very clear that people need to prepare. I had been lulled into the false sense of security that surrounds us but always had the memory of an immigrant parent that fled Germany. I returned to the prepping self reliant life style just over one year ago. We have started on the path, all credit card debt gone, wifes car payment 6 months from being paid off early, building a pantry and learning skills that will help perpetuate that. At 52 i am trying to change my job so that it will support my lifestyle in action as well as money. So Beck, like Rawles, like Spirko, like so many others out there are helping people to wake up and they all take some crap for it, so be ready to take some crap your self once you try to wake up people to the fact they are a small crisis away from a large one.

 

Dont put to much thought into anything Glen Beck says HE IS AN ENTERTAINER.

 

Ummmm, no, not so much. Progressive liberal activists who run their mouths when they shouldn't such as Rosie O'Donnell, Whoopie Goldberg, Susan Sarandon and her commie husband whatshisname Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Alec Baldwin, Bruce Springsteen, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, et al., ... THEY are ENTERTAINERS.

Glenn Lee Beck is a Conservative Political Commentator, Television Host, Author, Entrepreneur and a good father to his kids and husband to his wife.

If that entertains some, then sobeit. But trust me, his intention is to do whatever it takes to get through to as many sheeple out there as possible before it is too late. He's seriously trying to save the country by educating the masses and he is doing a pretty good job of it thus far imho.

 

Yes it is very Mormon/LDS to have a year supply of food, then again, if everyone followed the Mormon way of prepping (Buying a little extra each week that stores well and rotate) there would be food on the shelves.

Or a more basic way to look at it.

In a short term SHTF situation, if you have a year supply of food, then chairty even if it not sharing that your a prepper is the right thing to do. (assuming that they are not a entitlement type) and in a Long Term SHTF situation, to be TOTALLY self-reliant is a pipe dream. You will have to work with some other people, at that point, your food storage will be great Barter. If times truely get tough, you will have to have a network of people, or you will die alone. That is why the Nordic types have a history of socalism, and Mormon communities in the Great Basin survived, when other homesteaders didn't.

Just my .02 Lira.

 

I think he's a figurehead for someone behind the scenes but that's just. I'm not saying he doesn't believe in what he preaches( sometimes a lil too preachy)

 

Glen has been backpeddling for weeks now.Hes lost his nerve.

 

How so? Be specific please because if anything I felt like he turned up the heat this past week, especially on George Soros and especially on pushing the need to prep big for an upcoming major malfunction.