SHTF

Alright, I have been non-political and non-controversial in this blog.
Today's offering may change that.

The acronym SHTF stands for
Shit
Hits
The
Fan

Basically, what that means is a crisis situation.
It can be personal, such as losing a job.
It can be regional, such as a hurricane like Katrina or Ike.
It can be national, such as the collapse of the government or a national financial meltdown as in Iceland.
It can be multi-national, as in the wars in the Middle-East.
Finally, it can be global, as in worse case scenario global warming or global freezing. (Scientists still up in the air about that!)

I think we, here in the United States, HAVE reached SHTF, it just hasn't been reported by the main stream media enough to register with the majority of the population.

There are a few more *trigger events* for a lot of people to realize SHTF is here and now, but those *triggers* are beginning to cascade.

We have had:
Massive Bank Failures
Real Estate Bubble Burst
States Beginning to fail financially (read up on California not being able to pay employees or vendors.)
Slow down of transportation system due to fuel prices and other factors.(Check with anyone in the trucking industry about this)
Retail Outlets failing in big numbers. Many stores declaring bankruptcy and/or closing doors.
Marked rise in unemployment.
Retailers keeping less merchandise in stock. (This ties into the trucking industry and the banks. Retailers are cutting their warehouse/inventory volume to keep costs down)
The shadow of gun banning in violation of our Constitution is now over us.
RFID issues.
NAIS issues.
States openly informing the US Congress and Executive Branch that they will retain their rights under the 9th and 10th Amendments.(This is bigger than most people imagine)
States (especially California) being forced to release up to one third of their prison populations due to overcrowding and lack of funds to continue incarceration.
Weather related crisis, droughts especially, in various regions of the country.
The Bailout and Stimulus packages that will impact the taxpayers for decades to come.
Continued conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
and much, much more....

So, how does this all add up?
It adds up to SHTF...all we need is one trigger event. A good sized riot in one city or an unusually hot summer over most of the country.
The fuse is already there.
One spark is all that it will take.

Please, get your family prepared.
Get your self prepared.
Help your community or neighborhood get prepared.

Here are some ways to be prepared and help others get prepared:

Plant a garden. Even if you live in an apartment. Put potted vegetable plants on your patio/terrace/fire escape. Encourage neighbors to garden. Get involved in community gardens. Suggest that edible plants and fruit trees be put in local parks rather than plain decorative ones.*Guerrilla Garden*, plant edibles in less frequented areas of your neighborhoods, in traffic medians, in the parks, anywhere you can think of.

Learn to cook *from scratch*. Expand your knowledge to include campfire cookery and grill skills in case of power interruptions. Man does not live by microwave alone!

Spend a little each week on food storage. Even if you stock up on ravioli and Spam, it's better than nothing at all.

Store 150 gallons of water. This is possible, even in a studio apartment if you plan it out carefully and use the 2 liter bottles as I previously wrote about.

Buy a firearm and ammunition for it.Even an inexpensive shotgun or .22 rifle, if that's all you can afford. But get one, get the ammo and PRACTICE!

Join your Neighborhood Watch or Neighborhood Association. KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS!

Attend City Council meetings or the meetings of whatever political entity makes the ordinances for your town/village/county. Know what's going on and what measures your local community politicos are taking.

Keep your vehicle fueled up. Store some gas in cans if you are able.

Update your *Bug Out Bag* regularly.

Have a good First Aid Kit.

Know the escape routes out of your city if you intend to *Bug Out* in a crisis. Have a main route and at least 3 other alternatives in case your chosen route is blocked in some manner.

If you intend to *Bug In* (stay home) in a crisis situation, make sure you have fire extinguishers that are charged and up to date.

Have a rendezvous point for you and family/friends in case of crisis. Also, have a *Back Up* place to meet in case the routes to the first one are impassable or in case the first point is in a area where a situation is happening.

Designate an out of town friend/family member as your *contact* operator in case you are separated from family/friends. Call them asap if you have to *Bug Out* and let them know where you are going and what time you expect to get there. Call again when you get to where-ever you were going.If phone systems go down, this may not be possible, however. It is nice to have someone that will be able to ascertain where everyone is, where they are heading and whether they are okay or not.

My next blog will be about items you should already have and/or what you should immediately get for preparedness.