As a teenager growing up in the 80’s I discovered preparedness or as it was known back then survivalism and being a survivalist. I tended to focus on nuclear war survival, civil defense and shelter construction. 14 years old and I was focused on one enemy – the Soviet Union. As I live my life now it seems threats come in all shapes and sizes and from every direction. The culture of the United States has changed, and the division within its populace has grown to a point that external threats may pale in comparison to the internal ones. While I generally have been very critical of people who predict and prepare for one specific thing – there are reasons to contemplate that which you feel is most likely and may require certain preps. More on that in another post.
I miss the 80’s. I miss going to the Civil Defense office at City Hall and reading up on fallout shelters. I miss the fantasy of grabbing my big hollow-handled survival knife and heading out into the wilderness to survive. Hey – I was 14. I miss thinking that survival was living out some unrealistic scenario from the movie Red Dawn. Yeah – things were much simpler back then.
Today I deal with the harsh reality that a second civil war or new American Revolution would be beyond difficult. That an EMP from some overhead satellite would create conditions so desperate that things like cannibalism would become commonplace. The level of darkness and evil that would arise, well, most cannot comprehend.
People suck. In a domestic conflict and especially after EMP people would suck even worse. Back in the 80’s many of us envisioned Americans coming together to fight together against a common enemy. Today? Not so much.
In the 80’s when the threat of the Soviet Union generated Patriotism and movies like Red Dawn – it was much simpler.
Rourke
Rourke! Good to see you back. I am also worried about potential civil war, plus the possibility of another power using the confusion to try to invade and take over. Didn’t the Brits try that during the civil war?
I do not fear an external seizure here in the states as much as I fear a total Democrat takeover of the govt. With the radical left at the wheel we are destined for higher tax rates, lower tax bases, and stringent gun restrictions if not bans.
Right on George.
Thanks Lynn!!
Also good to see you back.
I saw someone describe the U.S. now as being in a cold Civil War, good description.
Just bought a pretty cheap Baofeng radio to listen to stuff. Radio seems tricky to figure out. Also can’t touch the transmit button before passing the technician level license. Am studying and not finding it easy.😕
Have fun with it StevefromMA. Get a ham app for your phone to help you study. Appreciate it!
Agree Steve on figuring out the radio.
Here in Florida my concern is Hurricanes and snow storms. Well, Snowflake storms.
John, welcome back. We had one enemy in the 80’s, today the number of them is only a guess. My fear is this country was founded with powder and ball and history often repeats itself. Steve, I just bought another one after reading the government is prohibiting there sales starting in September.
Thanks John P!!
I’ll echo the welcome back John!
Ignorance was indeed bliss. Certainly it was simpler. One enemy is uniting even if you don’t all agree on ideologies. Now we seem to have multiple enemies, both foreign and domestic. Of course the right and left are much farther apart than ever. In a sense we are fighting ourselves, even within the right. Me.. I’m just preparing for reasonable threats. I recently heard a statement I like, along the lines of being gray. “If I tell people I am preparing for a zombie apocalypse, I’m an apolitical eccentric with a hobby. If I am preparing for a Civil War, then I am a domestic terrorist, because that is what they are taught to think now”. Honestly I have too large an electronic footprint, but I try not to talk to local folks about much. I live out and away, raise critters, and learn stuff. I recently got a $16000.00 hat, which came with a Kubota Tractor. Ultimately we all want to feed, water, warm, and defend ourselves. I’ve said this before. My grandfather called it farming.
GG58
Been awhile gg58! Appreciate the words and I agree.
Welcome back! It has been awhile.
We totally agree with you- people suck. In a crisis, they manage to suck even more.
I also am interested in the Baofeng radio, but feel it is beyond my simple abilities.
Thanks, Sheltie Kid. The Baofeng and similar radios can be quite overwhelming. Youtube is a great resource for figuring things out.
I’m pretty sure you can buy a Baofeng cd online, or use a Baofeng website that can program the radio for you by connecting it to your pc using a usb cord.
You have to use the cord from Baofeng to do that. My radios came with a cord so hopefully I can figure out how to make them useful beyond the marine weather band that they give me now. 😉
Yeah the programming cord comes with the package deals $25-$35.. depending on model.. The TP models do well (Tri power 1,4,8 watt)… Down Load Chirp and FLDIGI to use in programming the radios and save a copy .. then use the copy to write to the other radios you get so you can use for family or group freqs etc .. and you can send the image to anyone via encrypted email .. If you contact seom local hams they usually have all the relays etc etc programmed and will share .. and use that writing to you radio in chirp … just Hit up Amazon and watch for deals.. very low cost High capability .. the digitals radiodity radios are a little more but digital with extra features and complexity etc.. .. just have fun .. keep a backup or two in a sealed ammo box
The communists are patient.They know that the United States will destroy itself from within eventually.The Second Civil War is coming no matter what. Do the best you can and make sure that if they get you they burn their feet on hot brass.
I’m the same age range as you JR. I was 14 when the Original Red Dawn came out too. My Dad even made us watch The Day After as a family a year before and talk about what would we do if something like that would happen and it scared the crap out of me, that set things in motion. That year was also the year I bought my first “survivalist” magazine – Survival Guide 1983 from a gas station while on family vacation and my first Ahern book #10 in 1984 that I still have but it’s sadly falling apart from being read so many times. (For my 50th, I’m getting a Crain Life Support System 1 replica from Greg Wall Knives, no real use for it except I’ve always wanted one). Up until the 1990’s there were three major things to prepare for. The Soviet Union, a Economic downturn and a simmering race issue. Today the same threats are STILL there but we’re so far into tribalism IF a civil war, race war or economic depression would break out there won’t be any front lines, won’t be any clear bad guys/girls – anyone shooting or stealing from you is going to be the bad guy. We’ve even gone from Retreaters/Survivalists to be called Prepper, Homesteaders, Prepsteaders or Off Griders so there’s no negative stereotype to offend someone. Preppers today are too wrapped up with just buying stuff and not learning skills and dabble to much into political activism losing sight of what preparedness is about. Keeping your family and group/MAG safe, not standing at some protest with MAGA hats or signs of “Don’t tread on me” to possibly get arrested or injured and put your family into crushing financial hardship. I don’t believe we’ll be blown into the 1800’s if a EMP would go off, there is still too much non-electronic equipment throughout the US that can be put back into daily use with a little elbow grease. I’d say we’d be knocked back to the 1940’s or maybe the 1930’s. We as American’s are unlike any other nation on this planet, there still is a group of people who will roll up their sleeves and get to work. I’m not a prepper, I’m not a political activist (militia/patriot groups fall into that category)… I’m a survivalist who will do what they can to take care of my family and my group – whether it’s a designed MAG or the neighbors in my subdivision. Sorry for the rant, just fed up with the whole so called preparedness movement.
we do love our labels jh…. we do something and someone else has to create a label to describe it. It’s an element of control.. because they need to mentally put you in a box and be able to identify your bx in relation to themselves, or their group box/position. People always look for the angle that makes them feel better or superior. We get aggravated and want to redefine that box to something closer to what we actually are.. Thing is we are all individual boxes… Different ages, circumstances, etc etc,, as you said we do the best for our families that we can.. which is a fine commonality among us. If we find someone, or more than one that is close to our brand of tin foil, crazy, whatever.. we can hang out and share the load. We can plan and talk it through.. Individual boxes are just not good for the ones that want to control what you can and cannot or are not allowed to do. Name one thing you don’t have to ask permission to do that is of any consequence right? Of course if we don’t group up and organize .. well lone wolves are easy prey, and packs not so much.. It’s a conundrum. The “movement” if we can call it that comes from our sense that there is a wrongness out there we live and work in, as well as the frustration that if we can identify it, there is very little we can DO about it. Another intangible. Just when you think you have it is whisks by you like a warm breeze.. and you have to keep after it. I think it’s the pursuit that is another thing that binds us together. Not that we pursue it the same way, not at all.. but that we do travel a road with a similar destination. I’m rambling I think. Surviving to help those we care about and those causes we support is not a bad thing. There is probably nothing more important that we will do with our lives IMO.