CLOSE QUARTERS
*OMG, this guy is wonderful! I normally only pay him half a mind as I don't necessarily agree with the Military Way he embraces, but this article is funny as hell. No sacred cow left unslaughtered. click here
*
In the Yuppie Scum
Survivalist Christian Militia Fantasy Future, only the worthy as decided by
Baby Jesus’ determination based on wealth are going to be able to migrate to
the Chosen Land in the northwestern shadow of the Rockies to the few
agricultural areas that exist, and they shall gather together is small villages
to pray for guidance as to when they shall smite the unbelievers. But in the meantime they live far apart in
their homesteads, invincible behind a screen of lead delivered by
semi-automatics, warm and comfortable as they should be with their hoarded
stockpiles of petroleum products ( more of Gods Devine wisdom- as proof the US
was situated atop such an oil bounty and only Lucifer’s Minions the Greens are
keeping us from drilling all we could ever want or need ). Boy!
It must be nice when you don’t have to put up with the rest of the
bloody wankers of the universe! You too
could escape the UnChosen Races by making oodles and gobs of money and moving
to the suburbs by commuting in your Big, Bad, Mighty And Righteous SUV, then
escaping the overrun suburbs come the collapse ( only the worthy are tested! )
in said conveyance, then use it to visit your Brethren come Sundays from your
majestic retreat.
*
Meanwhile, back on Planet
Reality, resource depletion rears its ugly head and Honest Injun, after ten
years and both the Ethanol and the Fracking Fiasco, it might be time to start
thinking about giving up on your obsession with a motor vehicle. Now, I won’t retread the same subject. I’ve covered Peak Everything many times and
will again. Here, I’d like to just touch
on the anthropological aspects of motor
vehicle ownership. I think one very
important component in the mental illness of Happy Motoring ( as Kunstler is
wont to title our obsession ) is the ability to avoid other people. You can focus on racial fears driving the
population to suburbia. You can think
about the freedom of mobility. The
escape from the reality of geography.
The cocooning. But perhaps it is
something a wee bit simpler. Perhaps we
are merely trying to minimize our contact with EVERYONE else ( not just select
groups wearing darker hues, although you’d be an idiot to deny that the
phenomena has a certain survival trait aspect going for it ). Now, obviously, driving to work alone and
swinging through the Drive In only encompass a portion of our lives. We spend far more time avoiding other people
by socializing on the Internet and watching TV.
The car is just the pretty, shiny, unicorn frosting outward
manifestation. It was our first cultural
means of escape prior to couch potato-ing it.
*
Why do you think the Car
Jacking events were such big news? Our
bubble world was intruded on. The deal
was that we stayed corporate cubical drones and sold our souls, we were allowed
to move out of the ghettos and we would be left alone during the few minutes we
had left after all the mandatory unpaid overtime. Wow!
Imagine my surprise when the implicit social contract is violated for
additional Elite Treasure Accumulation.
So, the unemployable ( due to robots and container ships from China )
stay home and visit life through the Matrix and the lucky few still having a
job but not for much longer hide away in their cars. That isn’t just Ghetto Pirates Avoidance, it
is avoiding as much reality as possible altogether. Let’s face it, people suck. We shouldn’t be surprised since the nations
culture was destroyed decades ago, but we still act like it astounds us.
*
And what makes avoiding
people possible? Petroleum. Not just cars or TV or the Web, but the magic
juice powering it all, oil. Giving up a
car, not watching TV, believing in Peak Oil.
All next to impossible to achieve, and that is because ( and again, this
is just ONE aspect of it ) we don’t want to go back to the world where we are
packed cheek to jowl ( asses to elbows ) with other people. Even in a functioning tribe, some people are
always going to suck. If we can’t kick
their ass, we have to deal with them.
And dealing with dingus’ is a huge pain in the ass. Just as modern society disallows beating down
the unworthy, so tribes forbid the same.
It makes sense as far as order, but it sucks to be the dude dealing with
the trouble makers ( and there are ALWAYS trouble makers. Whether you are the average Joe in the middle
or the Alpha Dog leader ). So escaping
makes sense.
*
The more dingus’ there are
in society, the more we try to escape.
Think about it. What is your
worst part of the day? At work. We could all list a lot of reasons, from
Peter Principle bosses who whine about how stressed they are when you don’t
tweak the laws of physics to allow their brilliance to shine through, to the
female members who spend more time “gaining consensus” with management consent
( if you have KU, read “Playground Rules” by Ian Ironwood. Brilliant stuff, but scary as hell ) than
helping with the work load, but all those are symptoms. The basic problem is you can’t escape and you
are forced to deal with jerks. Now,
think about living at work. Because that
is what a petroleum-less future is going to be like. Both for defense and heating/cooling without
all our magic modern petroleum solutions, we will be forced to like closely
with others ( not to mention lack of transportation fuel that can‘t be spared
as ALL crops must go to feeding people ).
ALL the time. No escape. What are you going to do, go for a hike to
blow off some steam? With bandits and
slavers and rabid dog packs? No wonder
we cling so hard to our cars. It is a “dingus-less”
environment.
END
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*Contact Information* Links To Other Blogs * Land In Elko* Lord Bison* my bio & biblio* my web site is www.bisonprepper.com *wal-mart wheat
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Yeah, all people suck. Well, not all, but so few don't, that practically speaking, it's a moot point to even debate. I find that I have nothing in common with almost anyone that has come out of a government school, many whom are even in my middle age bracket. It's for this reason that I prefer to go it alone, even at the price of short lived survival in order to avoid a group survival situation.
ReplyDeleteI did read that link that you posted James, and the author sounds very similar to the bullshitexposed.com guy, but I don't think it's him. But I will take this opportunity to post a link from him though, which I had already planned on doing.
Regardless of what your views are on this topic, the author puts forth some very credible arguments as to why you should seriously question anything that spews forth from the climate change crowd.
Global Warming is Bullshit
http://www.bullshitexposed.com/global-warming-is-bullshit/
I try to avoid complete belief in Gore Warming for many reasons, not least of which is staying out of the mass of lemmings. I shall look forward to reading your linked article-many thanks.
Delete"Meanwhile, back on Planet Reality..."
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for the most succinct and accurate summation of Yuppie Survivalism I have ever read!!!!! May I steal that line?
Of course you can steal it-I hope I didn't steal it and forget about it, though!:)
DeleteThe closest food store around here is 11 miles away along a 2 lane country road and it's a little 50 yo mom n pop type called IGA with 3 cash registers and I've never seen 2 open at the same time. If we want to spend some serious money we have to drive another 21 miles to a small metropolis to do so, for our monthly and yearly supplies. Between the 2 of us with 3 old rides we do about 5000-7000 miles a year and there is no way to live here without a vehicle.
ReplyDeleteMy 1991 S10 (bought brand new in late 1990 for $8,888) is 2 wd, my wifes 2006 Equinox is AWD and was purchased early last year, and my 2001 Blazer 4wd was purchased a month ago. In the winter 2wd vehicles are mostly useless and until we got awd and 4wd we were trapped on our property from Jan thru Feb each year due to 8" of ice on the long, up hill, gravel driveway.
I don't see anyway possible to live around here with just a bike for transportation. The closest vehicle rental facility is almost 1.5 hours away, in the opposite direction to where we purchase our supplies. Plus, how do you get to the rental place unless you already have a vehicle, and if you have one why rent another? Catch 22.
We paid cash for each of the vehicles and the insurance for each is the minimal the law will allow and costs about $800/yr for all 3.
Of all of your negative writings about vehicles that I have read none of them address the situation we are in.
No, we can't sell and move to another local as simply having vehicles is no reason to do so when there are so many other benefits to living here. We are both self employed and have been for 30 years and don't see that changing.
One size doesn't always fit all.
You already addressed the situation that you are in. When, not if, gasoline is rationed ( either by price or law ), you only have 11 miles to go to buy critical supplies on bike. Make a plan for that. Yes, you pay more ( we have an IGA mom and pop here and their shelf stable items are not cheap-but no worse than Raly's or Albertsons ). What will your alternative be? Think about that $200 electric bike motor ( for assisted pedaling ), trailers, etc. Yes, vehicles are a necessity now. Just make a Plan B.
Deletepretty close to the situation I will soon find myself in. 50+ miles to the second closest grocery store. So a fossil fuel vehicle is a requirement. 2 measures can be taken to offset this issue - 1) get the most fuel efficient vehicle possible using it for the fewest and most useful trips only. And 2) have a closer backup location to go to for the necessities or be able to do without the items.
DeleteI'm thinking about a donkey or mule with a cart.
DeleteOf course the bicycles will be around too, but those are a short term solution. Once the tires and tubes all rot off.
Horses and donkey's have been used for thousands of years, and foot power for even longer !
Understand, I DO understand you.
DeleteAnd I'm trying to find alternatives for when the rug is pulled out. Almost frantically so. Yes, a bike, with fat deep tread tires and gears is on the menu. Yes gears. There are steep hills here. I'm not sure about the electric part - seems more complex than necessary.
I already have problems, don't need any more.
BTW, I have been keeping notes of your writings for future reference - near and far.
My favorite alternative to the food acquisition is to source local stuff but again it is very difficult. Seems NOBODY is on board with what I'm trying to do. I can get plenty of (pricey) local organic veg's in the season but I have not found sources for protein - meat. Except for the wild stuff acquired by myself.
We grow a little but not nearly enough and our (5acres) is not conducive to expansion in that regard. Way too hilly and rocky and clay soil. Currently we have several 4'x4' raised beds and 2 small non-raised areas.
FWIW, my wife and I and 2 other local tribe members are actively searching for distant soil because we are not happy with the conversion process that is currently taking place around here. We're about 60 miles from a major metropolis and it seems the communist locals there have taken a liking to our little place in the sun and are moving in, and bringing all their misery with them. The noose is tightening, we see it, and are searching for a solution.
As a group, people are my biggest problem. Try as I might to distance myself from them in short order there they are again. Seems the harder I try to get away from them the harder they try to be near me. I just don't get it and never have and never will.
Sometimes the best answer is the most simple one. People, simply, hate you. Wait until they can fire at you with impunity. People are Uncle Humpers.
DeleteSpud-I give bicycles less than five years of operation after the collapse-on the outside. By then every tube will have failed.
DeleteOK, what else can be used for tires after the tubes fail?
DeleteCan tires be packed full of something else besides air?
We're not taking comfort here, we're talking utility.
I've seen sand rails where they screwed or bolted the tires to the rims to prevent them from spinning, maybe the same could be done with bike tires? Packem full of foam from couch cushions?
On rough roads ( pavement is far less of a factor ) you need air as a shock absorber. Without it parts of your bike will fall apart. Just think of the wheel spokes snapping and move up from there.
DeleteThat sounds like a solid plan Spud. For the eventual replacement wheels, maybe look into the simple wooden cart wheel. I'm not talking about the more complicated version with spokes, but one like the simple version in the link below:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.christinedemerchant.com/files/launching_dolly/launching_dolly_wood_wheel.jpg
I think that the Equines (horse family) will make a comeback in the rural areas beyond recreation, so the farmer that has them, along with horse drawn implements, and better yet, the ability to breed them, will be the king of the valley.
Someone here posted a link about a Chinese wheelbarrow, and I took a look at it. I think that it's a great alternative for shorter distances and is worth looking into. In fact, I'm thinking about making one and using it to go off into the mountains so that I can carry several weeks, or even months worth of supplies. I will probably still use my property in Elko as a supply base, and perhaps only live there part of the year during the cold months. I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable about the police state that's really starting to ramp up, and the further out one goes, the better I feel.
Low tech magazine dot com had a great article on the Chinese wheelbarrow.
DeleteTo be honest James, I'm not sure if I even knew that they existed prior to that minion posting a link. Looks like a real efficient way to transport a large amount of supplies, above and beyond what you could do with a backpack. Of course pack animals would be better, but I know that there are areas where you're only allowed to go on foot, at least in the PRK where I live. I wouldn't want the responsibility of having to tend to animals anyways.
DeleteI am told that there are woods where you can go camping near the Elko area. Is it the Ruby Hills?
You are probably thinking of Lamoille Canyon. Perhaps a twenty minute drive, even with traffic. Just had some dumbass get lost and die up there a month ago.
DeleteOkay, good to know, thanks. I'll try to avoid going by way of the dumbass if I ever head out there ;)
DeleteOkay, I just looked it up, and it turns out that it is the largest valley in the Ruby Hills. Looks like a nice place. Have you ever ventured out there James? I guess having your own desert spot probably does away with the need to go camping anywhere else.
DeleteThe NOL took me up there. Nice, but attracts Yuppies like flies to feces. And no, I have zero desire to ever camp if I can help it.
DeleteYeah, I hear ya. It's like Yosemite and Lake Alpine here in CA. Yosemite was always crowded, but up until not too many years ago, Lake Alpine was one of the best kept secrets. I was informed by someone that Sunset Magazine did a feature on it, and that was the end of that best kept secret. I'm thinking that if you're willing to hike way out that you can get away from a lot of that. Interesting, your view on camping? After all, that's pretty much what you were doing all those years at the Bpod. But I think I understand. It's totally different when you own the land, as opposed to going to a public campground and having to fight the other asshats over a piece of ground.
Delete