"There won't be any civil unrest" nobody said.
A very wise friend suggests preparing for civil unrest around the election.
He asked me not to use his name, so he doesn't attract attention.
BLM, Antifa, leftists of all stripes (even democrats) like to dox people
and set their businesses on fire.
CNN denies those charges.
I think he’s crazy, way overboard. Why would anyone need a fire
extinguisher?
The power might go out? Get batteries and charge up your laptop to get
Internet links?
Police response will be slow, or not at all? Lay in supplies? C’mon, man!
Here are his notes to me, you decide. I mixed in a few thoughts of my own.
My guess is that there is less chance of unrest if the election goes off in
such a way as to appear honest to a high degree of probability, AND if one
side or the other wins by a landslide.
Since neither of those conditions is highly likely, I anticipate civil
unrest will occur if Trump wins -- and probably not if he loses,
conservatives being generally law-abiding. Democrats have been infiltrated
and dominated by two criminally violent elements: communists (Antifa and
other marxists) and street thugs (BLM). Democrats generally have also
become infected with such narcissistic rage that they refuse to be bound by
the results of any election they lose. As they have so ably demonstrated
now for four years.
I believe that there may be interruptions in water and power, and possibly
stove and furnace gas, and that auto fuel will be unavailable because the
power is off. Cash machines and credit cards will not work with power down
and computer systems malfunctioning. Mobile phone service may be
intermittent at best.
There will be few police available in many places and they will be swamped
and, at best, slow to respond to individual calls for help. At worst they
will be totally unable (and possibly unwilling) to respond, leaving us
responsible for our own protection. [Note, a group I consult with,
JPFO.org, has counseled self-reliance for decades, for exactly these
reasons.] And I expect that there will be random distributions of rioters,
arsonists, rapists and looters, some armed, and some with gasoline bombs,
firework explosives and instantly-blinding high-powered lasers. They will
be less organized after phone and internet service deteriorate.
Were it not for COVID-19, I would evacuate now and go to my daughter's
house, where she and my son-in-law and two college-aged grandsons live. But
as it is I will prepare here, and wait alone to see how things develop. We
may not need to gather in preparation for a siege. [Note: I have advised
for many years to prepare to make your stand in your home if things ever
get that bad; travel will be dangerous at best, possibly impossible,
getting stranded in your vehicle with a go bag and desperation all around
will leave you wishing you were home with a toilet, walls and bed.]
If things go sour, I will fall back to her house, where there will then be
five defensively armed and trained adults, and a sufficient number of
adults to maintain an armed guard and fire watch rotation 24/7 for months
if necessary.
Otherwise, I have prepared as I would for earthquake or forest fire. I have
my evacuation essentials (documents, etc.) stacked and ready to go.
I have enough medications for three months, canned food for several weeks,
drinking water for two weeks or more (not counting the water in the hot
water and toilet tanks); a solar-charged power source for my CPAP machine,
and for charging phones and flashlights; Ham radio gear and a local network
of friends that is better than TV for knowing what is happening locally; a
hand-crank am/fm radio; oil lamps and a supply of lamp oil; law
enforcement-type flashlights and batteries; a full tank in my station
wagon; mobile ham radios in the car as well as handi-talkies; warm bedding
if the home becomes unheated; iPad and laptops for if and when there is an
internet connection; a very large fire extinguisher; hoses connected to
outdoor spigots; water purification tablets.
And though I don't expect to need it, a few years ago I ran across and
purchased a new-in-the-box Civil Defense surplus Geiger counter and a
dosimeter... in case things get really nasty. ;-) [Note: As a long-time
rockhound, I have a Russian-made Geiger counter, very sensitive, popular
there after Chernobyl, measures air, ore, fruits and vegetables, fun for a
guy like me (one of several types I have), even airplane cosmic radiation
as you ascend through the protective atmosphere... very high readings!
airlines don’t tell you that; around $199, smaller than a deck of cards,
Soecks brand].
And yes Alan, I was a Boy Scout. I was a tenderfoot for about three years.
Enjoy your time with your family this evening!
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