Survivalism and Mormonism

[_Mr. Coffee]

Slightly off topic, but...

For killing Romero-style zombies, your best bet is either a fire arm or a blunt instrument, as the only way to bring them down is to destroy the brain. For firearms, pretty much anything will do, but as the Marine Corps Rules of Gun Fights say, "Never use a handgun the caliber of which does not start in .4" and "Bring a long gun. better yet, bring a friend with a long gun". For a blunt instrument, anything from a baseball bat to a mace will do, but you do need good upper body strength to inflict sufficient force to make the skull go crunch hard enough to destroy the brain.

Axes or swords are a seriously dumb idea as they will either get stuck in the bones or dull rapidly. Just get a Louieville Slugger and show them Zombies what's up.

Me, I'd I'd go with an M16/M4 for a primary, a Remington 870 in 12guage for hardcore CQB, a 1911 frame auto in .45ACP for a secondary with one round saved for blowing my own brains out. Let's face it, if the situation is dire enough that you have to use blunt instruments you're surrounded and basically screwed. Better to end it and not become a shambling idiot undead.

[_Gazelam]

Growing up we had a great food storage. We had Goats (For meat and milk), Rabbits (for meat), and chickens (eggs and meat) in the back yard, and two horses.

My Mom bottled venison and vegtables, and there were many 5 gallon buckets of wheat under the stairs in the basement.

As for myself, no food storage. Its another one of those things that's on my "to do" list. Like my Home Teaching. (I am so going to hell)

Gaz

[_moksha]

So are Mormons and Evangelicals more likely to turn Zombie? Like what would you do if a zombified Bruce R. McConkie were to come at you full bore?

[_Bond...James Bond]

So are Mormons and Evangelicals more likely to turn Zombie? Like what would you do if a zombified Bruce R. McConkie were to come at you full bore?

Probably....the blind organized religion types are halfway to zombie anyway.

If a zombiefied Bruce R came after me...I'd have to go with the blunt object (if he was alone)....if he brought friends I'd go with a gun....of course to avoid being sucked in by his boring speeches I'd plug my ears.

Slightly off topic, but...

For killing Romero-style zombies, your best bet is either a fire arm or a blunt instrument, as the only way to bring them down is to destroy the brain. For firearms, pretty much anything will do, but as the Marine Corps Rules of Gun Fights say, "Never use a handgun the caliber of which does not start in .4" and "Bring a long gun. better yet, bring a friend with a long gun". For a blunt instrument, anything from a baseball bat to a mace will do, but you do need good upper body strength to inflict sufficient force to make the skull go crunch hard enough to destroy the brain.

Axes or swords are a seriously dumb idea as they will either get stuck in the bones or dull rapidly. Just get a Louieville Slugger and show them Zombies what's up.

Me, I'd I'd go with an M16/M4 for a primary, a Remington 870 in 12guage for hardcore CQB, a 1911 frame auto in .45ACP for a secondary with one round saved for blowing my own brains out. Let's face it, if the situation is dire enough that you have to use blunt instruments you're surrounded and basically screwed. Better to end it and not become a shambling idiot undead.

Yeah....I agree a blunt object is better than a bladed weapon.....I would have the blunt weapon handy (especially in a one-on-one zombie situations) in order to conserve ammo though.

by the way: For all you people out there thinking "they're talking about zombies, and zombies aren't real..." just remember we feel the same way about Golden Plates and other hocus pocus.

[_Gazelam]

Is the Lord getting ready to try us? :

Vanishing bees vex scientists
Where have all the bees gone?

That's the question a lot of people have been asking lately, and with good reason -- researchers say up to one-third of all the honeybees in the United States have vanished. And no one knows why exactly.

Scientists are scrambling to explain the sudden, mysterious die-off of honeybee hives -- something they've named "Colony Collapse Disorder" -- before it gets worse.

Before you roll your eyes and say to yourselves, "Ok, another science story," think about this: experts say honeybees are responsible for one-third of all the food we eat; and according to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, they add $15 billion to the bottom line of the agriculture industry.

These bees are like tiny workhorses. Without them flying around, pollinating millions of flowers each spring, we wouldn't have a very interesting or a very balanced diet. No apples, peaches, blueberries, cucumbers or almonds -- just some of the 90 crops dependent on honeybees for pollination, according to entomologists we spoke to. Also, beef and dairy cattle require alfalfa in their diet. Guess who is responsible for that? Yep. The honeybee. Chew on that the next time you sit down for a steak dinner.

For tonight's program, Randi Kaye and I traveled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to meet the man who first sounded the alarm about the mystery and pressured the government to investigate. In the course of two months, he says he lost some 80 million bees -- 2,000 of his hives. And he's not alone. Beekeepers in more than 25 states and Canadian provinces are reporting major losses, too.

We'll take you inside the USDA Bee Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and Penn State University to follow scientists who are using forensics -- just like homicide detectives -- to get to the bottom of these billions of deaths. They are performing bee autopsies and DNA work.

Think of it as CSI: Honeybee.

So then, what is killing the honeybees? Despite some pretty far-fetched theories (cell phone radiation, a bee "rapture," an Osama bin Laden plot), researchers are looking at a combination of a relatively new insecticide along with an increase in bee viruses. It's a one-two punch that weakens the bees' immune systems and leaves them susceptible to pathogens. They expect to announce preliminary findings in the next few weeks.

And while some of the affected hives seem to be improving, experts at the USDA say that is because there is more food available for the bees during the warm spring. They warn it's still too early to tell whether America's honeybees can overcome this mysterious disorder.


-- By Jason Rovou, CNN Producer
Posted By CNN: 1:46 PM ET

[_The Nehor]

And deseret unleashes fiery vengeance upon us.

[_JAK]

Recently I've been reading up on survivalists (people who try to be prepared in every way in case of a societal breakdown brought about by whatever natural disaster/plague/nuclear attack/zombies/etc) and was thinking that Mormons might have a leg up in the food storage department. So a couple questions:

1) Do a lot Mormons really store large amounts of food?

2) Any Survivalists type folk on the board?

3) Do you suffer from insomnia, because that's what is fueling this thread (j/k)?

Most of the LDS that I know (and that's not a whole in the grand scheme) do maintain a good food storage system. When Y2K was about to hit and folks didn't really know what to expect (which turned out to be nothing really) the sisters in the local Ward offered to let me take part in their canning group and the church that I belong to (SB) used the LDS guidelines for food storage at special meetings for the congregation.

Does stockpiling weapons meet the criteria for "survivalist"?

Jersey Girl

Jersey Girl,

To address your question: “Does stockpiling weapons meet the criteria for "survivalist"?

Understanding this question really does require context, my view to the question is (in short) no.

Particularly in the US, survival is inherently linked to wealth which may be applied to techniques or devices for survival. Wealth affords mobility. For example, in Third World countries where poverty is the rule, the survival is marginal. People there are apt to die from disease or starvation. Absent wealth which affords them escape from disease and starvation, “survival” is marginal. Such people in such places are likely candidates for early death -- infant mortality and an average life-span of very limited years.

Weapons are of little value as we commonly think of weapons. However, wealth is a weapon which may greatly enhance the chance for survival. For example, if global warming makes some parts of the earth now very productive a place of poverty and starvation, the wealthy will travel to safer places on the earth. They can afford to escape what those with lesser means can not escape.

“Weapons” of most any sort in the conventional conception of weapons will be of little benefit. No matter how many guns (for example) one might have, the person could never survive for long on weapons. They need safety which weapons of the kind normally considered {weapons} can not offer. They need to be in a safe place with adequate food, medical care, and protection.

One could not stockpile a sufficient quantity of food (for example) to sustain them for long. Rather, they need a supply source for food as well as medical care, drugs, doctors, etc. Weapons will not provide what is needed for “survival.”

JAK

[_Mr. Coffee]

“Weapons” of most any sort in the conventional conception of weapons will be of little benefit. No matter how many guns (for example) one might have, the person could never survive for long on weapons.

Jax, I want you to seriously consider just how retarded that statement was before you read on....

They need safety which weapons of the kind normally considered {weapons} can not offer. They need to be in a safe place with adequate food, medical care, and protection.

And here's why the statement you made above is retarded. With weapons I can hunt for food. More importantly, I can defend my shelter, food, medical supplies, and those sheltering with me.

One could not stockpile a sufficient quantity of food (for example) to sustain them for long. Rather, they need a supply source for food as well as medical care, drugs, doctors, etc. Weapons will not provide what is needed for “survival.”

I guess you've never heard of MREs. Shelf life of about five years, one kit contains all the nutrients for one person for an entire day on a 2000cal/day diet. A case of twenty-four MREs doesn't take up very much space either, nor do they cost very much.

As far as drugs, baring you having a medical condition requiring a steady supply of specialized drugs, you don't need much more than antibiotics and aspirin. A good field medical kit will have pretty much everything you need to survive anything in the realm of minor cuts, burns, and broken bones. Even better, if you're like me and have had the training, you can even perform minor surgical proceadures, perform effective treatment for moderate injuries, stitch up cuts, and even a bit of minor dentistry. With what I've got on hand, I can easilly treat anything from a simple broken bone to gunshot wounds.

Anything more serious then that, and under a survival situation you're boned no matter what. If things get to the point where I'd have to button up the house and use my supplies and training for a survival situation, chances are that emergency services (hospitals/fire-rescue/law enforcment) are all gone or are inaccessable.

Weapons may not provide any of that, but they will enable me to keep anyone from trying to take my supplies or shelter.


Oh, and I'm not worried about running out of ammo either. I've got the supplies and tools for reloading my own cartidges. For certain applications I handload my own cartidges anyways.

[_twinkie]

Good question. We have about three month's worth of food. Not because we're Mormons, but because I hate going to the store. At this point, we feel it is more important to stock up on firearms and ammunition. The day is coming very soon where it will be difficult or impossible to buy firearms. I think the church should also encourage people to PROTECT their food supplies. What's the point of having a year's worth of food and no gun? Your non-mormon neighbor without a food supply but a few firearms will soon have YOUR food. Is that a survivalist mentality? LOL it sounds like it!

[_Bond...James Bond]

The day is coming very soon where it will be difficult or impossible to buy firearms.

I don't think this is true.....the NRA is the most powerful lobby in the country and the 2nd Amendment is live and well.