By Angry Old American
Copyright Angry Old American, July 15th, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

There are many people who have recently joined the growing community of “Preppers.” For one reason
or another, these new Preppers have seen a need to prepare for a variety of natural or man-made disasters.

They may be following recommended FEMA guidelines for Tsunami or Earthquake preparedness. They
might be preparing for the consequences of World War 3, or even another American Civil War. They
might simply be preparing for a “Sure Thing;” soaring inflation, food and fuel shortages, supply chain
breakdown, and subsequent social unrest, If this describes you, then welcome to a club that is growing
larger by the day.

Community, and networking with others of like-mind is important. The best case scenario of the “Sure
Thing” that we face during coming years will be a gradual economic decline like Venezuela.
Venezuela was a prosperous country, with the highest standard of living in South America. That was
before Socialists seized power and hyper-inflated the Venezuelan economy by spending beyond their
means. The citizens of Venezuela have the Universal Basic Income that Democrats in this country covet.
All Venezuelans who are fit must work in order to earn their basic income. As a consequence of
unrestrained government spending, two weeks of Universal Basic Income will buy a single roll of toilet
paper. Thus, more and more Venezuelans learn that the only way they can survive is through the illegal
Black Market economy and their hidden free-enterprise job. There are plenty of documentaries about the gradual economic decline of Venezuela, the famine and slaughter of pets and zoo animals for food. I
highly recommend doing a bit of research. This will be our “Best Case Scenario.”

What is the “Worst Case Scenario?” Look at the Russian Famine of the 1920s, and Tomsk “Cannibal
Island” where 5,000 died in 1933. Research Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” and Great Famine in China that
killed 45 million people in the 1960s. Learn about Pol Pot’s “Killing Fields” that erased a quarter of
Cambodia’s population in the 1970s.

If we follow the path of Venezuela, our fate will include runaway inflation, shortages of fuel and food, a
supply-chain breakdown, disappearing emergency and public services, epidemic crime, and a government that attempts to control all resources. The result will be an organized crime and gang controlled “Black Market” economy; and an emphasis on self-reliance among the populace. We will be on our own.

I have emphasized in most of my articles that you can only prepare BEFORE an emergency happens;
afterward you can only REACT. Using that criteria, we are in the Reaction Phase of this emergency.
The evidence of social decline is all around us. We are in a proxy war with Russia. We are facing food
shortages because of last year’s crop failures and supply chain disruptions; and next year, when this year’s crops go to market, it will be far worse.. We are facing a fuel shortage because of government
abandonment of fossil fuels. We are facing hyperinflation and a gradual economic collapse because of
runaway government spending. We are facing epidemic crime nationwide due to the release of our prison and jail inmate populations and an insane “Rethinking” of crime and punishment. Most all Western European countries have warned their populations to prepare for war by stocking-up on food and firewood, and arming themselves; but not the USA. The proverbial “Shit-Has-Hit-The-Fan” (SHTF), and the times for discretely preparing are gone.

We must now compete with others for scant resources, with dollars that have less value by the day. Our
only saving grace is the average television brainwashed delusional ninnies who trust in the mainstream
media message of calm and “normalcy.” These naive souls will simply wait til the prices come back
down. When or if these unfortunates of social programming come to their senses, a bright neon sign will
flash in the sky above ”Let the looting begin!” Until that day comes, we have a chance to react to this
emergency in relative peace.

An “Unwritten Rule” among long-time Preppers is to never discuss your personal preparations with
others. Many Preppers choose the “Gray-Man” approach, and choose to blend in with the community. The Gray-Man is superficially indistinguishable from the average “Normal” lunkhead who lives for the day without a thought of tomorrow.

Why all the subterfuge by those in the Prepper Community?

“Prepper Wolves” are those individuals who’s preparation plan is to hunt and loot Preppers. Psychopaths, Sociopaths, and other “Wise Guys” know about runaway inflation, fuel and food shortages and subsequent periods of impending social unrest. Their strategy is to arm themselves, form packs of like-minded predators, and steal anything of value. Once the stores have been looted, and they have infiltrated charitable and government distribution networks, then private residences will be targeted. Their choice prey among the citizenry will be those wealthy few who have not hired adequate security.

Next on the list are those in the Prepper Community.

Sociopaths are those who are raised within criminal societies and are taught the “Trades” and criminal
codes and values from birth by criminal parents. Sociopaths are the institutionalized recidivists who spend much of their lives in juvenile halls, continuation schools, jails and prisons; and subsequently are just as comfortable incarcerated as out on the streets.

Psychopaths are those who are naturally self-centered and lack the natural human capacity for empathy,
mercy, guilt or remorse. Cinema and television have seldom portrayed Sociopaths and Psychopaths
properly. More often than not, they appear as sinister hardened figures that send shivers down our spines.

In actuality, both sociopaths and psychopaths can be extremely personable; some are even charismatic.
This well honed facade of personality is all the better to gain their victim’s confidence for a quick and
easy kill. Doctors Babiak and Hare, in their book “Snakes in Suits,” reveal unsettling statistics about
Psychopaths. Although Psychopaths only comprise 2% of the population, the highest concentrations of
them gravitate to professions as Corporate CEOs and Politicians, Attorneys, working in Mass Media
Cinema Radio and TV, Salesmen. Surgeons, Police, Clergy, Chefs, and “Civil Servants.” Only a small
fraction of psychopaths are ever discovered; much less see the inside of a prison cell. The point to
remember is that psychopaths are chameleons, and may even confront you under the color of authority,
using the pretext of “Official Business.”

These cold-blooded criminals have been around during the best of times; when food and fuel were
abundant and cheap, and the rule of law among society was respected by most citizens. Thanks to the
“Liberal” fad of pro-criminal policies, many dangerous prison inmates are being released to once-again
prey on society. When apprehended for new crimes, they are promptly released by “Social Justice
Warrior” Prosecutors and Judges. We will all need to adjust quickly to a crime-ridden environment, or
perish in naive ignorance.

Which brings us to our next topic; “Helping Others.”

There are those in the Prepper Community who are Judeo-Christians. These Judeo-Christian Preppers
were raised with the belief that THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE for the care of themselves and their family.
“Society” and government institutions may provide a safety net, but these Judeo-Christians do not have a sense of “entitlement.” Prudent emergency savings and preparation for probable and potential disasters is a fact of life for the Judeo-Christian Prepper. They have faith in God, but also know that God helps those who help themselves.

The doctrines of Judeo-Christian religion command them to care for their family and neighbors. Yet; how can we safely help others who seek assistance AFTER a disaster strikes?

This is a question that you should ask yourself now; BEFORE you face the inevitable. Do not be
delusional enough to think that you will be allowed to enjoy your pantry full of food, emergency supplies, and home garden without intrusion. With a selfish and predatory government like ours, you will at least be visited by hungry “Tax Collectors.” We also discussed the Prepper Wolves who might simply shoot you in the back while you are doing chores. We will all need a strong community in order to survive the coming challenges.

We can also expect to be visited by desperate souls seeking some form of relief from thirst, famine and
want.

Now is the time to consider how you will react to the entreaties of others, and make your own set of rules to live by. There are plenty of folks who have consumed a few-too-many disaster movies, and think they will take the self-serving route of the psychopath. “If I so-much as think a person is trying to take what is mine, I will plant them six-feet-under in my front yard as a lesson to others.” However, it is important to remember that we will all need to live with ourselves and the moral consequences of our decisions. Is that really the kind of person you want to become? Perhaps it is what the so-called Hollywood and TV “Hero” of a disaster movie did; but could you really live with that decision?

Already there are wretched and destitute souls who have lost everything. During the government
mandated Covid lockdowns, vaccinations, and political purges of “Religious and Patriotic Extremists,”
they lost their jobs, their savings and retirement, homes, and in some cases their family. Some are living
homeless on the streets; but many chose death through substance abuse or other forms of suicide. We are facing a future of government crafted and socially engineered deprivation that makes the last couple of years look like a cakewalk.

So, this is a good time to look yourself in the mirror and consider a sober and rational response to the
desperation that will soon surround you.

Should we unconditionally extend our assistance to others? If not, then what criteria should we establish
before helping others? How do we confront those who are simply seeking to prey upon our kindness?
The Bible clearly states categories of people who are candidates for charity. Those who are feeble of body or mind, the elderly, disabled, widows and orphans top that list of charitable recipients. Persons who are fit, strong, and capable of caring for themselves should be responsible for their own care.

Unfortunately, in our modern Democratic Socialist Utopia, children have been raised to adulthood with
little, if any, knowledge or skills of self-sufficiency. If they were required to obtain water, shelter, food,
first aid, or a means of self-defense from scratch; they would fail miserably. They would not be able to
identify safe drinking water, or be able to purify it if unsafe. They would lack the knowledge to construct
a hasty rustic survival shelter. Most cannot even create fire without a lighter or a match. Many could not
identify vegetables outside of a grocery store frozen-food package or can; much less prior to harvest in a backyard garden. They lack the ability to identify wild edible plants, and the skills of fishing, trapping or
hunting, and cleaning and preparing that which they catch. If injured, they are untrained in first aid, and
many cannot properly defend themselves. A hundred years ago, every boy and girl mastered these skills
well before puberty, and most by the age of twelve had mastered advanced food preservation, animal
husbandry, farming skills, construction; or apprenticed in marketable trades!

Unfortunately, children and adults of today are not even particularly well schooled in English language,
writing, reading, math or science! Army Recruiters found that 20% of high school graduates could not
meet their minimal educational standards; so they dropped those standards along with the requirement for a high school diploma or GED!

We cannot blame these children and adults for their lack of knowledge or skills; as they were never
properly schooled. Our public schools have been purposely designed to create highly-indoctrinated adults that are bereft of basic self-sufficiency skills and independent thinking. Our educational establishment has created a perfect slave class of perpetual kids, totally dependent on mass media programming for “knowledge” and “truth.” They have been taught that all they need is their smart phone to “Google” any fact, or a calculator to add, subtract, multiply or divide, and “Texting” has become their chosen form of communication. The social engineering “Professors” in our Public Schools have also provided indoctrination in the religion of envy and self-entitlement; which makes them dangerous.

So, what can we do for the able-bodied adult who shows up at our door? They will arrive in one of two
forms. They might come with an expression of self-righteous indignation and anger that you have not
already given them “Their fair share” of those items you paid for and possess. In the best of situations,
they will appear with a hang-dog expression, lips puffed out, wiping alligator tears from their eyes with
one hand, and rubbing their belly with the other “My belly is so empty, FEEEEED MEEEEEEE!”

All of us will have our own way of handling a problem like this. Despite all of our efforts to remain low
key, there will always be clues that we are resourceful. Perhaps the smell of food, or the presence of our
vegetable garden, or there may be the tell-tale freshly opened can or food carton in our rubbish heap.
When deprived of food, the senses of a hungry soul grow more acute.

Personally, I raise a distinction between potential allies like family, friends and immediate neighbors; as
opposed to itinerant vagabonds who are simply passing through. Not that all family, friends or neighbors will receive my assistance; but I will at least have the benefit of prior knowledge about their moral character.

We always have the option of not answering the door. If that person who is knocking is unknown, or if
they appear to be dangerous or part of a gang, then fortification and immediate preparation for home
defense may be in order. However, if the person simply appears in peril or down on their luck, and not a
threat, then I might wish to help. As for my own rules, under no circumstances will they be allowed
within ten feet of the front door, and I will most likely never open the door but speak to them through my doorbell video intercom, or from the front window.

If I do not recognize the person at my door, I will ask the question “Are you from around here or simply
passing through?”

If they are local, but not a neighbor, or are passing through, they will most likely receive one of two
prepackaged emergency kits. They will NEED a water bottle, which will probably be an empty and
properly cleaned soda bottle from the trash. I would add a used aspirin or Tylenol bottle filled with
chlorine to purify water. They would get a clean 2nd hand blanket from Goodwill along with a 50 gallon 3 mil contractor bag for rain protection. They would get a lighter to make fire, and a homemade “Hobo
Stove” with an empty can to cook with. They would get a small amount of food, enough for a day, with a
pound of quick oats because it does not need to be cooked. They would also get a compact survival
pamphlet.

If they are locally housed, but not a direct neighbor, then I will skip the bare essentials and they will get
an assortment of vegetable seeds to plant and a handout with pictures of local edible wild plants.
If either vagabond or local is thirsty, and I have sufficient water, they will have water. If they are injured, I
will offer modest first aid supplies and directions of how to use them. That will be the extent of my
charity for relatively healthy and fit strangers. If they receive anything at all, they will need to leave and
return later to pick-up the package. I will NEVER open the door when unknown people are present!
However, before I offer any assistance at all, there is one more question “What is your plan?”

If they are moving-on down the road, then I should not expect to ever see them again. This will be good
news. However, if they are local, then they might return, and may even bring others; which I want to
avoid at all costs. My level of assistance for any locals other than family, friends and immediate neighbors will be determined by “Their Plan.”

First rule for local’s is “There are no free hand-outs.” If they want food or anything else, they will be
required to do hard labor in exchange, or barter something of equal value. An able-bodied adult is
expected to be independent and too proud to accept hand-outs. “Hobos” of the 1930s “Great Depression” always exchanged labor for food; and that was their proud distinction from a “Bum”. If I get an impression that they consider themselves to be entitled to anything that I own; then they will be sent down the road.

Because of the cruelty inflicted on citizens by our Public Schools, I consider it an act of kindness and
mercy to teach these poor deprived wretches the bare basics of self-sufficiency; and that is the purpose of a small survival pamphlet and a pamphlet with pictures of local edible plants. I will help others to help
themselves; but that is the extent of my charity. There will be plenty of widows, orphans, disabled and
elderly who actually merit charity.

Family, friends and immediate neighbors can expect vegetable seeds and enough basic near-starvation
rations to get their first crop in; which would be one month for radishes, spinach, kale and lettuce. They
will also be schooled in local edible plant recognition, fishing, hunting and trapping. Plenty of cat’s ear,
dandelions, sow-thistle, broad-leaf burdock, and nettle available; and I am sure there will be plenty of
local Norway rats available to trap during the coming famine. If I were hungry enough, then I would trap
and eat them myself. I ate termite grubs during Army survival training, and would do so again if hungry
enough. Other than true charity cases, the rest of family, friends and neighbors will need to barter, trade
and exchange labor and skills.

Hopefully, there will be a few people who are prepared, self-sufficient and skilled. We will all need a like- minded community to network with during the coming hard times. Those family, friends and neighbors who are not already in your survival group can be recruited and trained later. I will always keep the options open for newcomers; but other than obvious charity cases, there is no free ride. Even charity cases will be required to keep watch out the window and raise alarms when danger is afoot. They might sit in a chair and shuck corn, shell peas, or peel potatoes. The old and disabled can also monitor the shortwave radio for outside news while watching the backs of others who toil in the garden or forage for food.

Everybody will have their hands-full of work, because we are all headed for a subsistence lifestyle. Do
your homework and study the collapse of the Venezuelan economy. The same thing is happening now to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Lebanon, Equador, and will soon be happening to Egypt and others. It is only a
matter of time before we experience the same right here in the USA.

There are many resources that you can share with others in need; but be guarded in sharing information.
This rule is especially true if you are in a survival or prepper group. Do not be quick to take anybody,
even family or friends, into your complete confidence. Those of like mind, who have proven themselves
through courage and selflessness action can be trusted. All others might become candidates, or associates for barter of services or goods.

Remember the old Mountain Man adage “Love many, trust but few; and always paddle your own canoe.”