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Gunman's Aunt: Nancy Lanza Talked About Survivalism

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lostlakehiker12/16/2012 5:28:44 pm PST

re: #83 Prononymous, rogue demon hunter

Most “preppers” I have met don’t know diddly squat about the local edible/poisonous flora and fauna, how to collect safe drinking water without a filter, how to construct/find shelter, how to make fire from scratch, etc. What good is prepping for the end of society if you are going to be relying on the products of society to survive?

I suspect “prepping” is more about irrational paranoia that the continual liberalization of society is going to lead to its collapse combined with a fantasy where they can shoot people without repercussions and wallow in their “I got mine” stockpile.

If they neglect the stuff you’re talking about, then they’re not remotely “preparing” for any sort of breakdown, large or small. Weapons are a very small part of the story of what would be needed.

Fire: any old magnifying glass will do. If you don’t have that, then a plastic baggie or a sheet of clear flexible plastic can be filled with water and shaped and twisted into a lens.

Safe(r) drinking water: leave it lie out in direct sunlight for 3 hours.
Much safer: dose it up with a drop or two of bleach per liter. Then let it sit in direct sunlight etc.

Shelter? A car makes a pretty good shelter. Rip out the seat stuffing for personal insulation.

Fauna? Mostly edible. Road kill is generally edible, even if it smells and is kind of rotten. But that sort of stuff will run out almost immediately. You gotta get some sort of crop in the ground and hang on til harvest time.

If there was a nuclear war and it’s cold and dark all the time, you’re not going to survive.