Some general thoughts on things and such

Ok, so I didn't get to it on Thursday. Life is full of mostly unpleasant surprises and many tasks, none of which ever seem to come when you plan for them. But enough whining.

Some things I've been thinking about, given the disastrous state of the American Dollar and the vacuous state of the American public...

One, if the dollar fails utterly (hyperinflation, loss of faith, Chinese Foreclosure) what will happen?

While I think in the long run, such a thing will be good for the whole world since the collapse of the dollar would take the empire with it, in the short run it will likely be catastrophic.

The United State of America (s deliberately omitted) is ill prepared for individual survival. A great many people are so interdependent and straight up dependent upon the "system" that even a week without officially sanctioned commerce would probably lead to starvation for a lot of people. Ridiculous, but there it is.

So what do you do?

I highly advocate, right now, that as many people as possible (this means YOU) put together an emergency survival kit. Actually, two of them. One portable, one not. Canned goods and water reserves, dry beans, rice, corn and possibly jerked meat. Not foods that depend on refrigeration, as power might fail. This is the non portable, or limited portability.

Portable? TWO good knives. They don't have to be the hyper expensive sport model, just a good long and short knife. A backpack. A sleeping bag. A tent. An endless match (magnesium strip). Some rugged clothes, hiking boots, raingear, and a small cooking kit. First aid kit and sewing kit (I also highly recommend dental floss. It's a fantastic thread for quick and durable repairs to things like your backpack and tent). A good compass, if your knife don't have one. One hundred feet of light gauge rope. A hammer and a multi tool like a leatherman. Do your best to keep it all under 40 pounds. I know that don't sound like a lot, but after a day with it on your back and belt, you'll sing another tune :)

I would add some weapons to that if possible. A bow is probably better than a gun for hunting and defense as well, for two reasons. In a SHTF scenario, you don't want to draw attention to yourself, and guns are noisy, and arrows are reusable. You might not be able to acquire bullets. Nevertheless, a gun is probably good to carry as well, for Mr. Case.

This emergency kit should be with you at all times. In the trunk of your car if you are away from home, or easily to hand while you are. You should check it frequently to be assured that it's intact. This is a good idea even in GOOD times, because things happen without your planning or consent even when you think you got a handle on things. Being the kind of guy that trouble seems to know where I am no matter how hard I try to avoid it, I can personally attest to this.

I had more, but it escaped. Later!