On 1/29/2014 5:13 PM, Delvin Benet wrote:
I was curious about how long raw whole wheat could be stored, so I went
searching. I searched on "how long can wheat last", without the quotes.
The first two "hits" were from nutball survivalist sites. I went to
the first one, preparednesspro.wordpress.com, and read a little bit of
what the link on wheat storage had to say. Then I clicked on their home
page link, and the full splendor of their crackpot paranoia became
immediately apparent.

By Kellene Bishop

Even hardened military personnel are taxed to their maximum
ability when functioning as sentries for a structure round the
clock. Regardless of how much military or emergency training one
has, it’s simply unrealistic to think that anything less than 6
able-bodied adults can manage and protect a home in times of
peril.



That "[life] as we now know it" is what always jumps out at you with
"prepper" crackpots. It's one of those absolute "tells", and you never
have to wait long for it.


Not sure how much my server will let me quote, but ...................

I cannot imagine just how the fullest prepared installation on this
earth could survive if the inhabitants had to go fully underground. Oh,
yeah, they could grow things for a while. Until the water or
electricity (artificial light) went out. Any straggler who stuck their
head out would get a Varmint Grenade for his birthday.

Security and sentry duty would be a nightmare, both from the prospective
of taking a boot grunt and making them into a fighting machine who
needed to fail only ONE TIME, and then there were fewer. There is a
huge problem with sentry patrols and security now. What do you do if
you find Sis napping? Shoot her? Now there are less. People would
have to go outside eventually, or go crazy. And snipers would be
waiting, being able to cover large amounts of territory from very small
very secure outposts. And air vent security? Water security? Cholera
and similar stuff?

I would bet that if if was all over after five years, and everyone came
out, that the above ground group would fare better, being able to build
warm structures, harvest meat and fauna, fish, lose less to combat, and
generally have a far less stressful life than being pinned down.
Remember, the people seiging could hold down the whole underground group
with far less people than those who stayed inside. Or, hell, just set
up household outside and a mile or two away and wait for them to waddle
out mumbling to themselves after being in the dark for months. Every
time one of them sticks their head out, there will be a high velocity
shell coming from a telescopic rifle right soon.

Sure, one can survive underground, but how long, and what kind of shape
will they come out in. Many social experiments to do in there that
haven't been done yet.

I'd rather be on the outside where I can roam far and wide and follow
the animals and fish and plants, and not glued to one spot by some Arky
with an AK. And if they do breach it, GUESS WHAT? FOOD'S GONE! And
living in some stinkhole with a bunch of people I may not care for. I
can only think of six right now, and four of them are probationary.

Just me.

YMMV

On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 16:37:07 -0700, SteveB wrote:

On 1/29/2014 5:13 PM, Delvin Benet wrote:
I was curious about how long raw whole wheat could be stored, so I went
searching. I searched on "how long can wheat last", without the
quotes.
The first two "hits" were from nutball survivalist sites. I went to
the first one, preparednesspro.wordpress.com, and read a little bit of
what the link on wheat storage had to say. Then I clicked on their
home page link, and the full splendor of their crackpot paranoia became
immediately apparent.

By Kellene Bishop

Even hardened military personnel are taxed to their maximum
ability when functioning as sentries for a structure round the
clock. Regardless of how much military or emergency training one
has, its simply unrealistic to think that anything less than 6
able-bodied adults can manage and protect a home in times of
peril.



That "[life] as we now know it" is what always jumps out at you with
"prepper" crackpots. It's one of those absolute "tells", and you never
have to wait long for it.


Not sure how much my server will let me quote, but ...................

I cannot imagine just how the fullest prepared installation on this
earth could survive if the inhabitants had to go fully underground. Oh,
yeah, they could grow things for a while. Until the water or
electricity (artificial light) went out. Any straggler who stuck their
head out would get a Varmint Grenade for his birthday.

Security and sentry duty would be a nightmare, both from the prospective
of taking a boot grunt and making them into a fighting machine who
needed to fail only ONE TIME, and then there were fewer. There is a
huge problem with sentry patrols and security now. What do you do if
you find Sis napping? Shoot her? Now there are less. People would
have to go outside eventually, or go crazy. And snipers would be
waiting, being able to cover large amounts of territory from very small
very secure outposts. And air vent security? Water security? Cholera
and similar stuff?

I would bet that if if was all over after five years, and everyone came
out, that the above ground group would fare better, being able to build
warm structures, harvest meat and fauna, fish, lose less to combat, and
generally have a far less stressful life than being pinned down.
Remember, the people seiging could hold down the whole underground group
with far less people than those who stayed inside. Or, hell, just set
up household outside and a mile or two away and wait for them to waddle
out mumbling to themselves after being in the dark for months. Every
time one of them sticks their head out, there will be a high velocity
shell coming from a telescopic rifle right soon.

Sure, one can survive underground, but how long, and what kind of shape
will they come out in. Many social experiments to do in there that
haven't been done yet.

I'd rather be on the outside where I can roam far and wide and follow
the animals and fish and plants, and not glued to one spot by some Arky
with an AK. And if they do breach it, GUESS WHAT? FOOD'S GONE! And
living in some stinkhole with a bunch of people I may not care for. I
can only think of six right now, and four of them are probationary.

This has nothing to do with metalworking.

Plonk.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com