Just when you thought it was safe to stockpile food, fuel, ammo and meds:
Seizure law riles Cooper City residents
COOPER CITY ยท The city has given itself the right to seize its residents’ personal property for public use in an emergency.
And although commissioners say it would use its new law only in “an exceptional disaster,” some residents are furious.
Some highlights:
“There’s always the possibility of abuse of power,” Commissioner Elliot Kleiman said, “but it’s not going to happen here.”
…
Cooper City businessowner John Sims owns two trucks, a 7,500-watt generator and chain saws.He said that despite the law, “I intend to not allow anyone on myproperty without a warrant. I’m going to use my equipment to protect myfamily prior to allowing the city to [take my equipment].”
…
Kleiman said Cooper City residents should be happy because their city has taken preventative steps to ensure their well-being.
Right at the top of the Things-Us-Paranoid-Survivalist-Types-Worry-About List is the idea that after exhaustively, expensively, and devotedly assembling everything you need to get through a crisis someone is going to come along and take it for themselves and leave you out in the cold, so to speak. The notion that its going to be .gov, with the law on their side, is just anathema. Imagine the scene as your house is an isolated oasis of light, heat, food and comfort. Then the clattering of boots on the doorstep and a knock on the door. Highway patrol cops in slickers say theyre there to take your generator and fuel because the local shelter needs it. What can you do? Anything involving shooting them wouldnt work out well since they firmly believe theyre in the right and that taking stuff from that nutball survivalist down the road is perfectly within ‘their rights’.
The obvious answers are:
a) be somewhere else completely with your gear when the Bad Thing happens
b) be so discrete and low profile no one knows you have these coveted items
This actually happened, from what Ive read, during Katrina … folks that threw a genset in the back of their truck and drove down to help Cousin Billy would get stopped at the various roadblocks and have their gear or even their vehicles taken for the use of the Powers That Be. Im of the salted earth school of resource denial. If I cant have it, youre gonna take it, and theres no way Im gonna change that then you better move fast ’cause I’ll torch the whole stack of Mountain House and cut holes in the water barrels before being forced to give it up to a bunch of .gov-sponsored looters.
Excellent reason to have redundant backups, offsite caches, and to be far away from the crowds when Bad Stuff happens.
I’ll assume you saw the “grey man” survival approach posted on survival blog awhile back, very sound advice. Light discipline, noise discipline, you get the picture.
At least cooper city has the manners to tell their citizen their property will be stolen, rather than being a suprise on balloon day. Now they have the option to MOVE.
I saw this posted on a forum I frequent (which I beleive you do as well, come to think of it), and a poster advocated how much better if the law required people to prepare for themselves, rather than advocating stealing from those who did.
Its important to remember FEMA has almost ZERO resources of their own, only what they can requistion and steal from those in disaster areas.
I’ll assume you saw the “grey man” survival approach posted on survival blog awhile back, very sound advice. Light discipline, noise discipline, you get the picture.
Yep, I’m planning for low profile as well. (Not that I’m half as prepared as the Commander, but I’m way more prepared than most of the folks around me.)
“There’s always the possibility of abuse of power,” Commissioner Elliot Kleiman said, “but it’s not going to happen here.”
*snrk* *guffaw* BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA
The obvious answers are
I’m going with (b). I don’t have anywhere else to go, all the relatives I care about are close by, I can’t afford to buy a retreat cabin. So I guess I won’t be turning on my generator unless I *really* have to.
Excellent reason to have redundant backups, offsite caches, and to be far away from the crowds when Bad Stuff happens.
I’d like to read a separate post from you on offsite caching. I am very nervous about the idea of doing this. Where I live it’s so built-up already, and there’s so much new construction going on constantly, that there is a good chance my caches would be uncovered and looted in short order. And that’s if I’m not observed planting or visiting them.
Well, offsite is the operative word here. Doesnt necessarily have to be buried in a hole in the ground somewhere. Could be a locked footlocker at a trusted friends garage fify miles away…..
Gotta be low profile. That said, I’m vengeful, possessive, and I don’t feel the need to fight natural selection at all costs. I may (or may not) choose to use what I have to help people in need, but it will all go up in a fireball before I let someone take it against my will.
Better yet: Never tell anyone you have it. Then they have no reason to suspect and confiscate.
ah
just another way big bro says “whats yours is mine”. hell cooper city is just being polite at legal stealing, just like your IRS every april 15th. wonder if they bill you for bullets used if you fail to comply?
thats why you hide your loot well, be it in a false wall, under the bed, buried out back, or in a secret cellar. beware of potentail friendly spies, even sitches. expect in real times of trouble being caught and looted for “unlawfull hoarding”.
a little paranioa goes great with careful consealment. Wildflower 06
Time to buy a Ultimate Secure Home!
Scenario
b) be so discrete and low profile no one knows you have these coveted items
Excellent advice. However, what would you do if you didn’t have the offsite bunker? Unfortunately I am not in a financial position to purchase a Rancho Ballistica, at least not for some time and am stuck in trimmed-lawn suburbia. Ok, somewhat – I am pretty far out from the city, but there are still many neighborhoods around here and there is not a lot of woods, most of it is farms or cattle-grazing land.
I have purchased heavy mil-spec black plastic sheets and a big staple gun to cover the windows so light discipline at night will be taken care of. However, if the water fails and we have no gas it will be readily apparent to our neighbors that we are holed up in our house. If we are not doing the whole “standing in the street in the daytime talking about how the SHTF” thing people will assume, and correctly – that I have stuff that they don’t. Now, I can lie like only a Texan can and BS with the neighbors that I am in the same SOL boat they are, but after a few days it would probably be apparent that we aren’t suffering the way some of them will be. At that point things get dangerous.
Bugging out isn’t really an option, I have an entire city of 12 million people between me and the nearest safe residence. I am working on moving, but as many know that’s way easier said than done. For us suburban warriors, what would be on your must-have checklist?
Crom
“There’s always the possibility of abuse of power,” Commissioner Elliot Kleiman said, “but it’s not going to happen here.”
That’s what the bastards always say.
Re: Scenario
flatten your empty cans for disposale somewhere else. if offered food, water, ectra; take it. a portable toilet for campers saves on water. if asked questions about your supplies, look stupid, “i know nuthing” is a good reply. bitch and complain about needs unfilled, the bastards at citry hall, fema, ectra makes you in their eyes another helpless bastard whom ain’t got nothing to steal.
in total, don’t display your hidden wealth, tell your family not to boast enen to friends what you have stashed away, and try to look like a poor dirty survivor like the rest out there.
as for leaving, do so early after midnite. you may have to abounden many things and travel lite. tell no one you are leaving. just go and dissapear for awhile, or forever. if your siblings can’t comply or stay quiet, leave them behind if you want to.
you have several routes to leave by, be it on foot, bicycle, or auto, be prepared to sacrifice wieght always to save on personal endurance or fuel. if on foot how far can you run with loaded pack? an over stuffed auto may waste precious travel fuel. noisey little darlings can only attract trouble. same with barking pets. in any case it your nightmare, deal in the real world time. Wildflower 06
This is why I keep two non-functional generators sitting around in my driveway, while the really good generators are packed up and hidden away.
Or maybe they’re just broken and I’m too lazy to fix ’em or haul ’em away.