What's more importtant than food?

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Good morning everyone! I'm posting this late Sunday night in anticipation of those of you smarter than me reading this at work and responding.

Here's the premise: Survival checklists always begin with food. I first learned about the Mormon food storage program and the companies that supplied freeze dried food for it in 1974. Twenty-five years later, most y2k retailers appear to be businesses built around food storage programs.

I encourage my DGI friends to ask themselves, "What is more important to me than food?", and then to begin storing that those items.

Now when I say "food", I'm not talking about forever. I'm talking about a twenty-four hour day.

So I ask this forum, What are those items which are more important to you than having a meal today?

I can think of three for myself.

1) Toilet paper. Without belaboring the obvious and disgusting, I'll say that I would rather spend the next 24 hours hungry than with my rear end bothering me.

2) Chap stick. When my lips are bothering me, I can't enjoy the food anyway.

3) Neosporin. This is a matter not of fact but of worry. If I were to cut myself seriously, and I would rather go without food for a day than to spend the day worrying that the cut might get infected.

Please let me know what on your list tops hunger.

-- GA Russell (garussell@russellga.com), March 14, 1999

Answers

Thirst

-- choo choo (water@h20.com), March 14, 1999.

Cigarettes. Fill your basement with cigarettes and you will be a rich man. Coffee too. These are addictions that people would almost kill for. I hate to even think about what the hard-core junkies will be doing when they run out of heroin, cocaine, etc.

-- Bender (now@risk.here), March 15, 1999.

Well, GA....I'm a 45 year-old guy with a 22 year-old wife...

-- PNG (png@gol.com), March 15, 1999.

wife of the wonderful, 7 years younger Mr. K

Mrs. K

"got water?"

-- Mrs. Kennedy (he-he@-he.com), March 15, 1999.


Important things for me ?

A cane pole about 16 ft long with hook and line;

A good dog for comfort;

A creek/lake for water and fish

A box of matches

A notebook and pencil

And the three items taken by George Orwell when he went back to.....

Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), March 15, 1999.



Bender,

They will raid Dr. offices, Pharms, and hospitals,,,,,then die horribly when it runs out.

GA,

Guns and ammo, fishing gear,,,where I live that means I can eat. CT

-- CT (ct@no.yr), March 15, 1999.


What's more important than food?? Freedom.

Freedom to do whatever it takes for me and my family to survive (without being jailed)

Freedom to barter or buy what I need without utilizing any type of identification (providing I pay cash)

Freedom to be kind to my neighbors and harsh to interlopers without worrying about the Department of Social Services.

Freedom to use the training life has given me.

I'm not sure that I would live thru (mentally) living in a tent city even though I would know where my next meal was coming from.

As long as my mind is clear and I can use the knowledge I have desperately tried to accumulate, I need little else.

Done it before, can do it again.

-- Lobo (Hiding@woods.com), March 15, 1999.


Hi All,

IMO, people addicted to heroin, etc. won't have anywhere near the problems facing people addicted to tobacco. The actual physical addiction for heroin can be over in 3 days (in tests, people who didn't know they were addicted to heroin 'had the flu' for about 3 days, then they were back to normal). Nicotine addiction is stronger and the recovery is far longer -- months or years for some people.

The psychological part is easier for heroin, too -- if the person can be placed in a different living situation. The social situation surrounding heroin use for most addicts is quite surcumscribed due to heroin's being illegal. Change the situation and the psychological cues or triggers aren't present.

In contrast, nicotine addiction -- especially cigarettes -- is psychologically ingrained in almost all social situations for the person addicted. Until recently, the cigarette addict could even partake of their drug at work (and many work environments still exist that allow cigarette use).

BTW, no flames please. My work environment allows both nicotine and caffeine use (I work in my home office and partake of both).

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moines (dtmiller@nevia.net), March 15, 1999.


Lobo,

I agree. No liberty no life.

-- Watchful (seethesea@msn.com), March 15, 1999.


I think the answer to this depends on your planning perspective. If the only goal anybody has -- and this seems to be the case -- is survival for their household (which includes items we need + items we can trade), then I guess the proven items would be: alcohol, particularly since drinking alcohol can also be used for sterilization of wounds etc.,; cigarettes; coffee; chocolate; toilet paper. From what I hear, these are the items that have always been hot properties, whether in war time or in black market countries that had few supplies.

Of course, if any human out there actually has a streak of wanting to help others (of which I see only a few small signs of on this board -- don't mean that as a flame, it just seems like few think of this), then there are other items that are not high trade value but are invaluable to those people who need them: baby formula or soy milk or goat milk, for all those mothers our AMA talked out of nursing who now have nothing to feed their infants; denture adhesive/cleaner because let me tell you, when people run out of that they're going to have a real hard time chewing dried fruits and various grains (my grandmother once told her doctor, before surgery, she would rather be stripped naked for the watching crowd of surgeons than have her false teeth removed -- it's a big deal to many of those who have them); and of course, treats for anybody especially children, and extra basics that are configurable to need -- like wool or material that could either be made into clothes or blankets.

Another thing I haven't seen anybody mention, despite all the preparation for alternative heating sources, is that taking the effort to get your house REALLY well weatherproof'd for the '99 Winter is pretty important.

PJ

-- PJ Gaenir (fire@firedocs.com), March 15, 1999.



Shelter is the Number 1 survival need. With out it you could die in a matter of minutes. Number 2 is water. Three days without it and you are toast. Number 3 is food. You can last weeks without it. After that comes smokes, booze, more smokes, more booze, smokes, booze, smokes,booze.......................................... I have to stop now. ~:)

-- SCOTTY (BLehman202@aol.com), March 15, 1999.

CT, I agree with guns and ammo, but shelter, and water top that list. I told my wife, hunting season or not, if there's no food at the markets, we'll be eating venison steaks and squirrel nuggets along with our canned vegetables. Be Ready!

-- Bill C. (Trekker992@AOL.COM), March 15, 1999.

Freedom! If you don't have that, nothing else matters.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), March 15, 1999.

I'd have to agree with those who picked freedom, shelter and water as prioroties besides food. Also- companionable people to be around- we humans are social creatures- most of use aren't cut out to be true hermits. Besides, if stuff does get bad, community can't be beat. Having friends and family around to share the good and the bad will never be more important in my view.

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), March 15, 1999.

Everything will be important, but the top of the list is water.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), March 15, 1999.


priorities--heat, necessary daily medications, water, toilet facilities.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), March 15, 1999.

Freedom. Without it, why live?

-- Leo (lchampion@ozemail.com.au), March 15, 1999.

Guns, of course. Big ones with high caliber and loads of ammo.

-- Gunman (heston@nra.org), March 15, 1999.

GA ... I hate cold feet ! With little or NO transportation, adults AND children will need good boots/shoes and extra socks.These are difficult items to make, other than summer moccasins. Ever been so poor you wore soles almost through, then stepped on a sharp pebble ?? If you can't preambulate, your in trouble ! Think of all the hand washing that will be done to avoid sickness; AND, it's winter ? GOT vasoline intensive care ?( for use and barter ). Nothing worse that cracked fingers in the winter and no lotion. Eagle ... PS Hydrogen peroxide for cuts is cheap and effective AND kids like the fact that it doesn't sting like alcohol; just bubbles oxygen and cleans out cuts.

-- Harold Walker (e999eagle@freewwweb.com), March 15, 1999.

Oxygen. Without that, even freedom isn't important.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), March 15, 1999.

Yeah, Pearlie. But the only way they can take my oxygen away from me is to get their fingers around my neck....and for that, they have to get close....

-- Lobo (Hiding@woods.com), March 17, 1999.

HEMORRHOID Cream.

Should be on everyones survival list but it's not.

-- Tom Bavis (pksmit@hotmail.com), April 06, 1999.


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