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From: Stan Norred
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 3:37 PM
Subject: [Texas_Self_Sufficiency] Americans Turning to Survivalists for
Advice
We are not alone.
--
Stan Norred
281-782-9744
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Americans Turning to Survivalists for Advice
December 1, 2008
By Nicholas K. Geranios
AP / Forbes
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- The Armchair Survivalist believes the nation is
falling into chaos, and he wants to help.
He offers practical advice for dealing with riots, wars, natural disasters
and food shortages, which he says are imminent because of the worldwide
economic meltdown and the incoming Obama administration.
"Too many things are occurring at the same time. It's upsetting people,"
said the Survivalist, whose real name is Kurt Wilson.
So this Martha Stewart for the camo-and-compound crowd provides valuable
information on nonperishable foods, portable water purifiers and defensive
weapons. His catalog business, Survival Enterprises, sells what you need for
the coming hard times.
Northern Idaho has long been a magnet for anti-government types and Wilson
moved his business here from California in 1998.
He operates out of a modest strip mall that is, ironically, on Government
Way in Coeur d'Alene. Much of the work is packing and shipping orders for
survival supplies such as canned bacon with a camouflage label and cases of
military MREs.
Wilson started "The Armchair Survivalist" radio show about a year ago
because so many people were asking him for advice on what he considered
simple problems. The Saturday show can be heard over his Web site, on
shortwave radio, or a few broadcast stations.
The survivalist movement was considered somewhat on the decline since it
peaked around 1996, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which
studies fringe movements around the country. But the SPLC warned last week
of a rise in "hyper-survivalist paramilitary groups" as a result of the
Obama election.
"Some conspiracy theorists and fringe "Patriot" radio hosts are seeking to
reverse that course by calling on their friends and countrymen to arm
themselves, organize and head for the hills in preparation for a
fast-approaching second Civil War," the SPLC said on its web site.
Jim Rawles, editor of survivalblog.com said unique visits to his site are
climbing. They've doubled to about 107,000 a week, he said. But he doesn't
think Obama's election is the main reason.
"The main driver right now is the economic situation," he said. "A lot of
people are deeply concerned we are on the cusp of another economic
depression."
While the term "survivalist" often carries negative connotations of
reactionary politics, advocates of the lifestyle say it has a long, proud
place in history -- see Lewis and Clark -- and in fiction such as "The Swiss
Family Robinson."
Barton Biggs, former chief global strategist for Morgan Stanley, recently
wrote a book in which he warned that people should anticipate the breakdown
of civilized society. He suggested creating a "safe haven" and stocking it
with canned food, liquids, medicine, seed, fertilizer and other tools for
survival.
In the same vein, Wilson devotes most of his program to topics like vacuum
packing of food, generator silencing, and fire starting
But his politics are also clear. During a recent program he referred to
"low-life interesting creatures that crawl over the border to get on Social
Security." He said Barack Obama was a communist whose election was largely
due to his race.
Yet business is booming at levels Wilson has not seen since the Y2K scare.
He attributes that to Americans' sense of vulnerability because of economic
woes and a series of high profile disasters, most notably Hurricane Katrina.
People feel they have to fend for themselves, he said.
Wilson spent part of his childhood living in a log cabin in the woods, where
he picked up many of the skills once common among rural Americans but now
largely forgotten.
During the Depression, for example, many Americans survived by planting
gardens, he said.
Wilson said his show is intended for a mainstream audience, but it's not
exactly "Paul Harvey."
On a recent program, he ripped the Wall Street bailout package, Democrats,
rising taxes, disappearing pensions and the possible expansion of welfare.
He warned that the worldwide credit crunch may leave cargo ships stranded in
ports, making food imports to the U.S. impossible.
During breaks, there were advertisements for a product that can obscure
license plates from red light cameras ("when cameras flash, you'll save some
cash"), a cure for intestinal parasites, and a device for converting
humidity into drinking water.
He doesn't worry so much about people who live in the country, figuring they
can fend for themselves.
"The guy in an apartment has no chance in hell," he said. "I help people to
become more self-sufficient."
One customer lives in a small Manhattan apartment, where he keeps stacks of
canned food covered by tablecloths in his living room so they look like end
tables, Wilson said.
Wilson recommends spending whatever it takes to have a year's worth of food
on hand because grocery stores will be immediately stripped bare when
disaster strikes.
Survival food and equipment can be expensive, but there are tricks to
cutting the costs, such as buying cases of canned food on sale.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/12/01/ap5760797.html
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