Help others prepare for the crash

...if we don't get educated and pass on the info and help others it will be those "local partisan pieholes" bashing in your door to raid your pantry.

Freedom is not FREE!!

but I think it is best to stick to one topic for the presentation and literature handouts. Think about how someone comes across who has bumper stickers for a half-dozen causes plastered on the back of their car. It's better to gain trust on one issue and gradually introduce tangential topics.

I was very active in the state Libertarian Party, even got elected to the legislature in 1994.

It would be great if someone were to shoot video of the presentation but I am not equipped to do so.

Yes, PLEASE film this and post to YouTube or Google Video. I'm sure millions would like to have this information.

but I don't know how to find your email address. Hence this lengthy post:

There is a lot of info available via google search on storage foods, although most are pushing vacuum-packed, freeze-dried foods in #10 cans. That's a pretty expensive way to go. I advocate storing more food for less money so that those who are prepared have the ability to feed (and organize) others. With a little research you should be able to find and join a food co-op through which to make your purchases. Costco and Sam's Club are good sources for certain items. Here are a couple of items I've assembled for handouts:
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Maybe it’s time to talk preparedness

What if you lost your savings and income, if all utilities quit working, if deliveries to nearby gas stations and grocery stores suddenly stopped? This is the theme of post-apocalyptic movies but sometimes it’s not so fictional.

News about sub-prime mortgage defaults and their continuing reverberations in the financial services and securities markets worldwide has many wondering when the next shoe will drop and what toll it might take on their jobs, their savings, and how much they pay for food and gas.

Many financial commentators now say that, in large part because of wrongheaded “corrective” actions by Congress, the president, and the Federal Reserve, things could get much worse before they improve, warning that the dollar’s inevitable devaluation due to the panic-fueled expansion of the money supply might accelerate until your savings are worth hardly anything. They recommend dollar divestment, fast! With so much nervousness it might be a good time to discuss ways to guard against ruin in a troubled economy.

In America the Great Depression stands as the benchmark for really bad times but other countries have had grave economic turmoil more recently, including Iceland right now, and they all bring lessons about what could happen and what steps the foresightful can take to weather hard times.

Many in the “back to the land” movement have sought independence in food, water, and power supply, figuring they might be unable to rely on the grocer or utilities during disasters or an economic meltdown. Mormons have long been counseled to store enough food and other provisions to survive a several-year hardship.

Even reliance on law enforcement has been questioned. Reports of police deserting their posts during Hurricane Katrina were disturbing. The result is that some of us have prepared as if for the apocalypse.

Survival preparedness is good because it is responsible. There is no way our government can adequately care for everyone during stressful times. Katrina proved that. Many waited over a week for help with nothing to eat and only polluted water to drink. That is why you should have extra food and water on hand and a supply of flashlights, batteries, emergency radio, and a preparedness pack containing first aid, warm and waterproof clothes, protein bars, flashlight, batteries and other needed items in case sudden relocation is necessary.

If you are prepared, you are not only less a burden on government and charity efforts to aid the hungry and homeless, you are in a position to help out. Often food storage is decried as "greedy hoarding" but the motivation to help friends and neighbors get by during shortages is laudable. The same may be said for those who arm themselves for protection. If police are unable to dispatch help to their neighborhood, then neighbors defending neighbors is a responsible motive.

I formed a food cooperative this year, Nashua Preparedness Group, to help others buy bulk grains, beans, and other storage foods. I also stand ready to teach those who are interested how to select and store bulk food staples. My contact information is below.

Buying through a co-op now is better than relying on the grocery store to provide you when an emergency arises. Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club and even some grocery stores have already instituted policies to prevent hoarding of certain items, including rice, flour, and cooking oil. During a panic there would likely be further restrictions, although in many disaster cases store security is overwhelmed and the shelves are stripped bare in a matter of hours. If you wait till panic is widespread before you act, it will be too late.

Maybe you are not ready to build a defensive arsenal or convert your investments to gold or silver as protection against the coming hyper-inflated dollar. But you can certainly take the simple step of laying in a food and water supply and assembling a survival preparedness pack that can be placed in your car at a moment's notice. Your preparations will give you confidence and peace of mind about an uncertain future

Jim McClarin
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Nashua Preparedness Group

The Nashua Preparedness Group exists as a buying club associate of Associated Buyers, a New Hampshire warehouse and distribution service. The group is open to anyone serious about preparedness. I am pushing bulk orders of grains, beans, honey, etc. and am not anxious to have members load up their orders with beauty aids, snack food items, perishables, or anything not a part of survival preparation, mainly due to the time involved in processing orders. I can email an order sheet and the bulk foods section of the catalog to those interested. A minimum combined order for the club is $350. (Even one party buying a year's worth of several bulk items will usually meet or exceed this amount.) I much prefer members make a few large orders rather than a dozen small orders. My objective is to see members store bulk food items as insurance against hard times, not replace their normal grocery buying with co-op purchases.

My own co-op purchases have included several hundred pounds of whole wheat berries in 50-lb. bags, four types of dried beans in 25-lb. bags, some 50-lb. bags of rolled oats, bulk quantities of sea salt and spices, 120 lbs. of honey, 5 gals. of molasses. Whole wheat can be stored practically forever, so it is a better choice than whole wheat flour, which can quickly turn rancid. Whole wheat kernels are normally milled into flour as needed, requiring a flour mill. These are available in a variety of prices. I bought a very good-quality one with a hand crank mounted on a V-belt flywheel. A motor could be mounted next to it but my plan is to convert it to pedal power. There are several recommended approaches to safeguarding grains and beans against rodents and insects. I store mine in scrubbed-out 5-gallon joint compound buckets with lids, mixing one cup of food-quality diatomaceous earth per 100 lbs. of grain or beans as an insect deterrent that is safe for human consumption. (It consists of tiny silica exoskeletons of unicellular marine diatoms mined from deposits in ancient sea beds. These scrape off the waxy coating on the surface of insects' bodies allowing too much of their body moisture to escape, thus preventing infestation.) I have extra buckets: scrubbed for $4, non-scrubbed for free. Wal-Mart also sells 5-gallon buckets with lids for $5 last I checked.

Orders placed by Wednesday are delivered Friday, subject to availability of items ordered. Partial filling of orders is not uncommon among co-ops, often requiring repeat orders. Prices are listed monthly but may be changed before the next month's price list comes out. There is also an 8% shipping & handling surcharge imposed by Associated Buyers that will be reduced once the club reaches a certain buying threshold. Member orders with checks must arrive at my house by Monday in order for me to place the order by Wednesday of the same week. Deliveries will come to my house and be temporarily stored in a closed garage. Same-day pickup will be enormously appreciated. I will check off each delivery against my order sheet and reimburse members with a personal check for any portion of an order that fails to arrive. Here is my contact information:

Jim McClarin
jimmcclarin@hotmail.com

(Contact address and phone deleted here)