Groups?????

[tracker]

Just curious How many here are in a groups or are you doing it alone. I am considering forming a group (strength in numbers). I realy do not know how to start:confused: It is a risk of exsposeing your family to others you know nothing about!! Have considered talking to neighbours but I am a little affriad they will think I am nuts:eek: Just curious what you`all were doing???????

[Legionnaire]

Most people around where I live are fairly strong survivors for the most part so I have a feeling this whole county will fair pretty well. But I don't want to form a group per se, I would prefer to move out away from everyone and get my own thing going as best I can, if others decide to join me later perhaps I'd let them but I don't really want to have to run some community.

[das]

My family is our group. Does that improve our odds, no. We will always lack skills in one are or another but we have faced our fears and work to improve our chances as we can. Winning the lottery would help greatly, lol.

[tracker]

I heard that on the lotery!! We have family in West Virginia and have talked about makeing that our SHFT area.Just hate to walk away from our home,but if it gets that bad,Gotta do what you gotta do!!

[TheUnboundOne]

Tracker, I'm not part of any group and have too full a plate to run a group, but I have given thought to taking First Aid courses and maybe joining the local REACT group to try and meet similar-minded people as well as learn new skills.

[Rustyshakelford]

My opinion

I think should the balloon go up, I would be VERY leary of anyone other then people I knew very well. Lots of people out there that only behave themselves just because they do not want to go to prison. Laws are written to control those 10%, the other 90% are just normal folks. I would be very leary of getting any of those 10% anywhere near me.

[tracker]

Tracker, I'm not part of any group and have too full a plate to run a group, but I have given thought to taking First Aid courses and maybe joining the local REACT group to try and meet similar-minded people as well as learn new skills.

That is exactly what I was thinking. I was a EMT for years and know the basics.There is always something to learn or discover that you have overlooked.I think with the boom in consealed carry permits and gun buying that there are a lot of like minded pepole out there, this could also be a way of gathering information the more ears the more intell. I think there is alot to gain by forming a group not somutch as a retreat but to meet and learn exchange ideas and materials.

[TheUnboundOne]

Tracker and Rustyshakelford, You both have wise words here. If you do join or form a group, I would also be very leery of anyone who brazenly incites violence and revolution or the very questionable pro se law/"Patriot Movement" stupid legal tricks. These people are scam artists or even undercover G-Men trying to entrap suckers.

The perfectly legitimate ways of simplicity, self-sufficiency, one-man self-employment, and disaster preparedness are perhaps the only realistic ways to avoid most taxation and regulation and stay out of the System until things can get better. After all, the less you need and the more you can make and grow for yourself, the less sales taxes you have to pay, the less property taxes you have to pay, the less you have to work for a paycheck, and the less income taxes you have to pay. Not perfect, I know, but it's do-able and 100 % legal.

[das]

The perfectly legitimate ways of simplicity, self-sufficiency, one-man self-employment, and disaster preparedness are perhaps the only realistic ways to avoid most taxation and regulation and stay out of the System until things can get better. After all, the less you need and the more you can make and grow for yourself, the less sales taxes you have to pay, the less property taxes you have to pay, the less you have to work for a paycheck, and the less income taxes you have to pay. Not perfect, I know, but it's do-able and 100 % legal.

ABSOLUTELY the best advise I have read, been told or found online since I began my preparedness efforts. If we each did the above plus get in top shape, improve our survival skills (reckoning, hunting, first aid/prevention) and get square with our families, church, communities I think we will not only survive the worst but prosper spiritually.

TUO, I have said it before, your advise is top notch. Keep it coming.

[Oddball]

Just curious How many here are in a groups or are you doing it alone. I am considering forming a group (strength in numbers). I realy do not know how to start:confused: It is a risk of exsposeing your family to others you know nothing about!! Have considered talking to neighbours but I am a little affriad they will think I am nuts:eek: Just curious what you`all were doing???????

I think there may be more than one way to look at "forming a group." If you mean you'd like to see people on here who live or work near each other meet up from time to time, I'm all for it. Whether that would turn into a "group" that would plan to face TEOTWAWKI together, I wouldn't count on it. That said, stranger things have happened via the interwebs! I'd be delighted to meet folks in my area who might not think I'm such an oddball for planning ahead. ;)

[nitehawg]

My thoughts would tend to join a .gov "group" on a local, county or state level. Vol. Fire/EMS, reserve sheriff, RACES, ARES, REACT, CERT, you get the idea. The training/education opportunities are tremendous, often provided free or on the .gov's dime. You would have access to equipment normally unavailable to others. You might even have access to intell. that others don't. Being recognized as a "first responder" might also help you in your ability to move about and get home or get out, whichever you deem necessary. And, trust me, if the balloon does go up, these groups will protect and provide for their own first.

Naturally, I've heard the horror stories associated with some of these groups, so you would have to choose very wisely. I would attend several meetings of the subject group and see which way things are going. See if I fit in and if our philosophies align. If not, then bail out.

If you are totally unable to find an appropriate group, then I would look to start one using the public service, volunteer venue. I.E. start a search and rescue group, or an emergency disaster response team. The possibilities are endless, always with the vision of getting that "first responder" status.

[TheUnboundOne]

Nighthawg,

I thought that REACT was an all-volunteer, non-governmental group of CB-ers.

[nitehawg]

TUO,

You are correct. What I was trying to get across is the idea of joining a "legit" recognized group of "good guys." Call it the "gray man" approach or whatever. My belief is if you join or organize a group designed for protection/survival of your area, even if all of you are the best intentioned, purest of heart people still walking, all it would take is the "opinion" of one official type person to brand your group "rogue, thugs, terr's." and you got a whole new set of problems.

[TheUnboundOne]

4-H could be a possibility for young people and the adults in their lives, since they teach farming, animal husbandry, and other skills that could possibly be useful for homesteading and surviving-in-place.

[Diesel]

actually that's a fantastic idea, never thought of that.