I watched Glen Beck last night

[Alaskan Survivalist]

Usually the guy freaks me out but this time he spoke of how we should help each other through the times ahead and preparation means we are not part of the problem and with excess preparation we could help others and actually be part of the solution. I've been putting up food stores and one thing I have been doing is putting up more rice than I'll ever eat to help others. I've also set up my fishing to catch enough fish to feed several families and my garden 3 times the size I need. How many are preparing to feed more than just themselves? Family and friends that are not preparing count as well. I am wondering if thier are enough doing this to make a difference.

[Winnie]

I'm the only one in my family I know of who has more than a weeks supply of food available at any time, AS. So yup, I plan for helping them out. I'm also the only one who has a veg garden. I managed to grow enough veg to provide me and my son with veg all summer, I have fruit , tomatoes canned. Frozen some veg.
I will share with family, but a do get annoyed when they EXPECT me to turn over more of my garden to give them veg, when they all have room to grow their own. Same with the chickens, funny how they remember where I live when it's time to kill off the meat birds. None of them are interested in learning anything useful. They're all money driven, I'm afraid.

We don't get Glen Beck over here, but I would broadly agree with the sentiment. Whether there are enough like minded people out there to make that difference is hard to say.

[Rick]

That guy is just weird. Sometimes he lounges around kooksville and other times he's right on the money. I've never figured him out.

If we look to other societies that have had massive disasters (Haiti, Indonesia, etc.) the only way they were able to cope was to pull together and help each other. Every place that has been devastated has rebounded by helping each other.

I'm with you on the preps. My plans include my larger family as well as my immediate family and I'm sure I'll have to help out some neighbors as well. I think there is some mental healing in helping others as well as physical rebuilding.

[SARKY]

Winnie, you can check him out at www.glenbeck.com or check out www.theblaze.com.
As to your relatives, perhaps they need a reality check as in "sorry I don't have anything for you". Just a thought.
As for me and the wifey, we have almost a years worth stored. only have 10 months of TP right now but that will change next month. I don't have a years worth of water stored either, only a couple of months worth but that can be replenished with the rains.

[Rick]

only have 10 months

I'm not going to ask you how you came to that determination. I already have this awful picture in my mind of counting squares and multiplying by the number of.....that picture is going to be there all day, I just know it.

[Trabitha]

I married into an Italian family. I always have enough on hand to feed an army! LOL!

[BENESSE]

I'm not going to ask you how you came to that determination. I already have this awful picture in my mind of counting squares and multiplying by the number of.....that picture is going to be there all day, I just know it.

After you're done picturing that, picture the alternative.
I am, and it ain't pretty.

[ravenscar]

rick you could go by usage, all the peps here go through 3 24 pk large rolls a month. easy determination.

[Rick]

It was a joke. One that obviously, lacked humor.

[BENESSE]

I laughed.

[Trabitha]

Have y'all seen those MRE Trays? I remember my husband talking about how the military used those to feed big groups on the field. We got a lot of those too. They aren't priced bad...on average about 10.00 a tray, but there's like 7lbs of food in each tray so it's worth it for feeding larger groups.
Now...it's not something you should open up if it's just or you and a small group, because unless you can finish 7lbs of food in one sitting...it's kind of a waste.

[rebel]

I started putting together 5 gallon pails with beans, rice, salt and pepper just to give to the neighbors a couple of weeks ago. I plan on putting together one a week and I have two ready and need about 10 more. Then the costs are defrayed over time. That should sustain a family of four for about a week on its own if the portions aren't too excessive.

[finallyME]

Have y'all seen those MRE Trays? I remember my husband talking about how the military used those to feed big groups on the field. We got a lot of those too. They aren't priced bad...on average about 10.00 a tray, but there's like 7lbs of food in each tray so it's worth it for feeding larger groups.
Now...it's not something you should open up if it's just or you and a small group, because unless you can finish 7lbs of food in one sitting...it's kind of a waste.

The MKT meals. They are just like MRE's, only bigger.

[Trabitha]

The MKT meals. They are just like MRE's, only bigger.

THAT'S what they're called. They're pretty cool to have on hand, IMO. We've got large families and usually gather...with the prices of food going up so quick, my mentality...is well...we've got to help each other out.
With these meals...while they may not be "home cooked", will keep that family bond alive and allow for us to share what we have with people who need help.

I'm one of those people that can't see a hungry person. If you come to my home, I have to have something to feed you. You WILL leave full. LOL!!

[ravenscar]

7 pound of food? wow where can i get em?

[Trabitha]

7 pound of food? wow where can i get em?

You can do a search to find what you like or the best price...but here's one link...Have never ordered from this place though...
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-MRE%27s%2C-Meals-Ready-to-Eat/Categories

[RCKCRWLER]

I agree it would be hard for me to turn someone away but if it meant my families survival or theirs, then bye.

I talked to a lady at work about preparing some stuff a little at a time, like My wife and I, and she flat out said, "I won't worry about it, I'll just come to your house." I looked at her and said, "You better not show up empty handed!" She looked at me like what do you mean, you wouldn't take care of me??!?!?!?!
Since then I don't bring up my preperations anymore to her or anyone else.
Sorry I had to rant.

[Wise Old Owl]

10 ounce steak with 2 oz of Idahoan potatoes is filling. 7lbs? wow.

[Trabitha]

10 ounce steak with 2 oz of Idahoan potatoes is filling. 7lbs? wow.

Well, keep in mind that we have a decent sized family who would need to be fed ;) Easily 10 mouths. I see it as every little bit helps. Prices are sky rocketing...and it if ever gets to the point where we have to bust into those 7lb meals...it's some bad times. Ya know? ;)

[crashdive123]

I frequently watch Glen Beck (watching right now as a matter of fact). I have not yet found (I've done some looking) him to have provided inaccurate information. I agree that sometimes his message is rather stark, but I truly believe that he is doing it to motivate people. Maybe that approach is not the best for some, but again - I have found his information to be accurate - or when he has made an error, he quickly corrected it. His current message of preparedness is a good one. I know that many here don't need a "push" to prepare - heck - we've been doing it for a long time. Some people however need that motivation. How many of you have posted about friends and neighbors that don't see the need to prepare? I say that if his method causes more folks to be prepared - then GREAT! His messages have been about personal responsibility, getting out of debt, hedges against inflation, food stores, etc. For those that dismiss him for whatever reason (not pointing fingers at anybody on the forum) do they prepare or are they letting the messenger get in the way of doing what is right? It is always interesting to me to see folks dismiss good ideas because of the messenger of those ideas.

[Rick]

Not to get off on a Beck tangent but his 15 days to economic collapse was a bit out there. He just built a LOT of supposition and tried to tie it all together. That's what I meant about weird. Anyone could do that and predict any outcome you want. Anywhoo and moving right along.

I have ordered from MREDepot. They are a pretty decent place to order from. Watch the prices!! They frequently run sales and have been running several on the group MRE's as of late. Sign up for their email list and you'll get all the latest. Sometimes the price is good, sometimes it's not, IMHO. I think they are a little high on price but the sales bring the price down. Just pick and choose and you can come out okay. I have quite a bit of their canned butter, canned bread, canned cakes and canned cheese. All very good. That's where I got the canned bacon from.

[BENESSE]

I contacted the MRE Depot about the shelf life of some of their products because they don't consistently specify it in the descriptions. I was primarily interested in stuff that could last over 20 yrs.
I happen to like and have stocked Mountain House #10 cans (30 yr shelf life) but am always looking for other options.
Customer service at the Depot was awfully nice and offered to email me some info which I found very informative. Here's what they said:

Hello,
Thank you for your interest in our products. Let me tell you a little about some of our more popular items that have long shelf-lives.
Flour and Rice are big no-nos as far LONG term storage. White Flour + Rice will last about 15yrs. Whole Wheat flour + Brown Rice last about 10years due to the oils that are in them.
Anything with dairy in the ingredients is also not a good bet for long term storage. But we carry Red Feather Cheese that will last about indefinitely due to the fact that it contains relatively low moisture then most cheese and it is real dairy mixed with pasteurized.
Some food products simply have too high of a moisture content and wont sustain more then 5years. And, another fact is that most food items that you find in the grocery store will last a lot longer then their expiration date (assuming they have a low moisture content and contain no dairy). The reason for expiration dates is because most products aren’t sealed properly (even vacuumed sealed plastic wont last more then 10years because plastic is porous and deteriorates releasing toxins) or if they are sealed properly don’t have a government approved study proving the long term life.
-our meats (bacon and all Yoders products)
-HJ wismann butter
- Red Feather cheese
-LUrPs
-Pilot Breadßthere is an exhibit of pilot bread in a Florida museum dating back to 1862
-Cereal
-Macaroni + Cheese
The list above are all our products that were commercially canned and microbiologically safe to eat for 20+ years. They begin to expire the minute the seal on the can is compromised. Our bacon, for instance, doesn’t have an expiration date on it because we proved in a study that it can basically outlive us!! I personally wish we could do that with all of our meats but we just don’t have the funds for it…yet! Bottom line is if you store your cans in optimal conditions they will outlive you.
Sincerely,
Tina Bush


MRE depot
942 Calle Amanecer Suite B
San Clemente, CA 92673
TEL: 949-366-9484
FAX: 949-366-9945

[Rick]

Your aren't going to find any MRE's of any type that will last 20 years. In fact, the latest numbers show them lasting less time. 60 months if stored at 50°F (10°C). Could you still eat them after 20 years. Probably. The nutrition and coloration and maybe even the taste will have degraded but they should still be safe to eat. Having said that, I don't want to be the guinea pig that tries it.

As for the Pilot Bread I think it's a lot like Twinkies. Once made it can't be destroyed even by eating it.

[hoosierarcher]

Anything properly, commercially canned will last at least 100 years. They have tested can goods canned over 100 years ago and the food in them was still nutritious and fairly tasty. A little color was lost and they had lost a little of the vitamins percentages.

[Trabitha]

I frequently watch Glen Beck (watching right now as a matter of fact). I have not yet found (I've done some looking) him to have provided inaccurate information. I agree that sometimes his message is rather stark, but I truly believe that he is doing it to motivate people. Maybe that approach is not the best for some, but again - I have found his information to be accurate - or when he has made an error, he quickly corrected it. His current message of preparedness is a good one. I know that many here don't need a "push" to prepare - heck - we've been doing it for a long time. Some people however need that motivation. How many of you have posted about friends and neighbors that don't see the need to prepare? I say that if his method causes more folks to be prepared - then GREAT! His messages have been about personal responsibility, getting out of debt, hedges against inflation, food stores, etc. For those that dismiss him for whatever reason (not pointing fingers at anybody on the forum) do they prepare or are they letting the messenger get in the way of doing what is right? It is always interesting to me to see folks dismiss good ideas because of the messenger of those ideas.

I agree 100%
While I get irritated with him from time to time and can't stand it when he starts the "water works"...I've yet to find inaccuracies in what he's reporting. I agree, that it's meant more to motivate people to pay attention. Sadly too many of us have become far too complacent.

[BENESSE]

The message IS the key but you're not gonna be receptive if you don't care for the messenger or the delivery.
I generally don't disagree with GB (and in fact, like him) when he is a guest on other people's show. (small doses)
But I simply can't get through his to save my life. His format and delivery are irritating and when he goes off the rails, he hurts the message and compromises his credibility.
Personally, I prefer to get my facts from people who are more level headed and less excitable.
(Charles Krauthammer, for example)

[Justin Case]

I agree 100%
While I get irritated with him from time to time and can't stand it when he starts the "water works"...I've yet to find inaccuracies in what he's reporting. I agree, that it's meant more to motivate people to pay attention. Sadly too many of us have become far too complacent.

Really ?

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-8-2010/doubtsourced

[BENESSE]

JC, people (who agree w/GB 100%) are gonna disagree w/John Stewart no matter what facts he presents.
And vice versa.
Unfortunately.
Just goes to support my earlier observation that the messenger is just as important as the message itself.

[Trabitha]

Really ?

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-8-2010/doubtsourced

The DAILY show? I'm sorry, JC...but a comedy show isn't exactly something that I take remotely seriously.

[BENESSE]

The DAILY show? I'm sorry, JC...but a comedy show isn't exactly something that I take remotely seriously.

Case in point--post #28.

[Justin Case]

The DAILY show? I'm sorry, JC...but a comedy show isn't exactly something that I take remotely seriously.

maybe a comedy show,, but he Shows you glen beck giving false info.. its a fact,,

I think you can get more truth from jon stewert any day over any "serious" shows,, Why ? Because the Truth is funny as hell,,

anyway,, not trying to start anything :) :).. Just showing proof beck is a fear/paranoia peddler,, It pretty clear in the Vid I linked to.. :)

[kyratshooter]

Please remember that JC is in California where they consider Shawn Penn and Brittany Spears political anylists. People actually wait for them to endorse candidates out there. JC is actually conservitive for the area. We have to cut him some slack in the reality area.

On the left coast Stewart and Frankin and The Dailey show is about as conservitive as they can stand.

Beck is into shock effect. That is how he has held the audience he has developed over the years. Criticize all you wish, he still has more people watching and listening to his broadcasts than any of the national stations at the moment. That is his job.

He comes close enough to the truth that it has scared the national media and the administration crapless. Ever notice that when anyone mentions Beck or Fox News in a press confrence Gibbs does a little potty dance and acts like he just dropped a load in his pants.

Some of his stuff is out there, really? Is he not just saying to a national audience what we say to each other daily. Prep, don't trust the government to take care of you, don't for a moment think they are really worried about YOU, things are not always going to be pretty.

And a lot of his pontifications are not predictions, they are senerios, just like we use. !!WHAT IF!!

Next time he goes to that board on TV and starts drawing listen real close. You'll catch the "Just imagine now,,,What if..." he uses to preface almost every senerio.

Now, as for Mormons with guns....half my shooting club is Mormon, and I live in KY, not Utah!

The Mormons had WAR declared on them by the U.S. Government. The Mormons had their own army in the 1800s. They probably still do! For all I know ther basement of the tabernacle in SLC is their armory. Call Jessie Ventura, perhaps they will let him in and check.

Want a real read. Look up the Morman Avenging Angils, the Danites or a single name...Porter Rockwell.

All that clean living, aviodance of caffine and nicotine just makes them better shots.

[Justin Case]

Please remember that JC is in California where they consider Shawn Penn and Brittany Spears political anylists.

hey,,, I just moved here,, I haven't even been to Hollywood yet ,, (although I did hit the Beach in Malibu recently ;))

BTW,, Brittney Spears is out,, Lady Ga ga is the new "queen" lol,, (try to keep up will ya ! ) :)

[Trabitha]

Case in point--post #28.

I don't nor did I ever think Bush was 100% correct.

Secondly, here's JC claiming Beck lied, and he clearly was quoted in that clip as saying "some people are recording", "possibly" and openly admitting "I don't know" regarding it's truth.
Let me also make a point that while the Daily Show is blasting FOX, they were far from the only network reporting those numbers. Funny how it was only FOX that got called out on it.
I think too many people choose to wear blinders now days regarding the facts because they want too badly to bash the other side.

Final point? I'm not going to, and no one SHOULD take a comedians opinion as fact in political matters. Just as myself and others have said, we look into what Beck has said on his shows to be sure he's giving facts. In fact, when Glenn ran that show, I made a point of looking up what was really happening with Obama's most recent trip overseas.

[Justin Case]

I don't nor did I ever think Bush was 100% correct.

Secondly, here's JC claiming Beck lied, and he clearly was quoted in that clip as saying "some people are recording", "possibly" and openly admitting "I don't know" regarding it's truth.
Let me also make a point that while the Daily Show is blasting FOX, they were far from the only network reporting those numbers. Funny how it was only FOX that got called out on it.
I think too many people choose to wear blinders now days regarding the facts because they want too badly to bash the other side.

Final point? I'm not going to, and no one SHOULD take a comedians opinion as fact in political matters. Just as myself and others have said, we look into what Beck has said on his shows to be sure he's giving facts. In fact, when Glenn ran that show, I made a point of looking up what was really happening with Obama's most recent trip overseas.

Watch the whole video,, by this statement, i know you didnt,, he goes onto Beck on his radio show 3 hours earlier where beck stated it all as Fact,, please watch the whole Vid, Its not long.. :)

Like it or not,, once again, Jon Stewart made a Monkey out of Beck..

[Trabitha]

I did watch that part, and if you had seen the entire show that was aired that night, you would have seen that he admitted to not knowing for sure, even commented on the earlier claim by all the news networks that it was fact. In short, he openly admitted to reporting it as fact, as the other news networks did and then admitted to not knowing and asked the audience to look into it.

Come on, JC. You're obviously capable of looking for facts. Stop watching small little clips of shows that you obviously don't watch, and passing judgement. We've already learned how the most innocent of clips can be made to look terrible, simply by not showing the entire thing. Stop falling into that hole.

Stewart didn't make a monkey out of anyone. His interns clipped the hell out of shows, and Stewart did his best to capitalize on it for cometic reasons. You really need to get your news from more reputable sources.

[SARKY]

I'm not going to ask you how you came to that determination. I already have this awful picture in my mind of counting squares and multiplying by the number of.....that picture is going to be there all day, I just know it.

NO! Rick, I have a set number of rolls in a package (36). I date the package when it is opened and then when the next package of rolls is opened. It works out to 2months per package for the 3 of us.

[Rick]

Okay. Ya'll. Here's humor............................................. .............and he's my reference on the TP.

I clearly was miles away. I'll do better, I promise.

[kyratshooter]

Come on now Rick, you do not know how much TP your family uses in a given time?

That is basic survival information even in a real world setting. It is like how many dozen eggs, how many cans of tuna or how much milk you should buy for a week.

Have we taught you nothing?:no:

[Rick]

My count gets messed up when we TP the neighborhood.

[BENESSE]

People are saying stuff on both sides.
Unless you listen to both sides without prejudice,
you won't really know what people are saying.

[crashdive123]

I've had to remove a couple of posts. Please keep discussions about the message and leave the politics out of it. If you can't do that, then move on to another thread. Thanks.

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I find Glen Becks facts hard to dispute but his conclusions are debatable and I seldom agree with his solutions but last night was different. On this one point that we could each other through this I agree to the possibilty but will we? I prefer it to the "run and gun" philosophy of survival. I once heard an economist say that as long as we continue to work society would continue. Would you go to work just to keep society going with little or no benifit to yourself because you are needed? Will it be every man for himself or will we help each other?

[Rick]

That economist is correct but people don't work for good will. They will continue to work for the same reasons they work today. They have to. Either to produce food or to produce cash that will buy food along with the other necessities like clothing.

I would guess that if you were out on the trail tomorrow and you ran across someone that was in bad shape because they went out unprepared you'd do whatever you could to help them. You might cuss their stupidity under your breath or to their face but all the while you will be doing whatever you can to get help and assist the person.

Why would you be any different in bad times? You might be more cautious and you'd be wise to be but if they weren't a threat, mother and child let's say, wouldn't you help? I'm assuming here that helping them doesn't put you or your family at risk. That's a different scenario.

[Wise Old Owl]

Your aren't going to find any MRE's of any type that will last 20 years. In fact, the latest numbers show them lasting less time. 60 months if stored at 50°F (10°C). Could you still eat them after 20 years. Probably. The nutrition and coloration and maybe even the taste will have degraded but they should still be safe to eat. Having said that, I don't want to be the guinea pig that tries it.

As for the Pilot Bread I think it's a lot like Twinkies. Once made it can't be destroyed even by eating it.

I agree take a sharpie and mark the date when you bought it.

[crashdive123]

One of the things he talked about tonight was food storage - recommending starting out by building up a two week supply and then expanding it to a one year supply. He said that he believes that inflation will dramatically effect food prices, and that even if they didn't go up as high as he believed they would - having food stores on hand can help with your peace of mind.

Really no different than what most of us have been saying for quite some time. Here is a little bit from his site.


Be Prepared: An Introduction to Food Storage
November 18, 2010 - 15:46 ET

In the age of the 24 hour supermarket, food storage may seem like a crazy concept. But economic forces are converging in such a way that skyrocketing food prices no longer seem like a possibility, more and more they appear to be an impending certainty. While Glenn could be wrong about inflation, there’s no harm in being prepared. Don’t be the person holding up a sign looking for help, be the person with a life raft. Look at the information on food storage and decide what’s best for you and your family.



THINGS TO CONSIDER

- No refrigeration, plan for emergency assuming no electricity.

- Be nutritious, there may be some more physical activity required (ie. Blizzard requires more shoveling)

- Keep calorie count



FOOD

- Recommend you start with 2 week supply of food
- Good no-cook food items

- Energy bars / breakfast bars
- Almonds
- Peanut butter
- Tuna packages
- Canned pasta
- Dried fruit / canned fruit
- Dry milk
- Instant coffee
- V-8 juice

- Plan around the way you already eat.

- Build around 3 categories of food

- Grocery store goods: often inexpensive, and it’s all familiar stuff. (i.e. mac & cheese)
- Freeze dried foods: lightweight and don’t take up much room. more expensive up front, but priced out per serving, it’s budget friendly.
- Bulk dry food: rice, beans, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, cornmeal, wheat, dried milk, etc. It will be the backbone of your food storage and last up to 20-30 years.

- Don’t stock up on it unless you know you like it.

- Look at ingredients. You don’t want something high in sodium or preservatives

- Pay attention to shelf life. Take a look at package, can. Soup doesn’t need water and can store this for a few years. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes – 1 yr max



WATER

- Easiest way to store is by using cleaned out 2 liter soda bottles. You can easily clean out with hot water, drop of soap. Rinse thoroughly. That type of plastic is safe for storage.

- Recommend 2 liter soda bottle / per person / per day. For consumption and washing.

- If a situation where water is an issue, be sure to have stash of paper plates & freeze dried meals.

- If you can heat water, then at least you can enjoy a hot meal (i.e. mac & cheese, pasta, soup)



STORAGE

- 5 main enemies to storing food

- Temperature: ideal is 40 degrees - 72 degrees. For every 18 degrees above 72, food will lose its’ nutritional value by half
- Humidity: Store food off the floor and away from outside walls
- Pests: Keep food in air-tight containers clean up food particles on the shelves or floor
- Oxygen: Use oxygen absorbers, rotate food, vacuum packing food to reduce oxidation
- Light: Keep your pantry area dark. If food is in clear containers, keep them in labeled boxes with lids.

- Look for places where can you declutter (I have water bottles stored under my kids’ beds)

- You can store food in bin under a bed, clear out space in closet and designate a shelf.

- I recommend pieces of furniture that can double as storage. (i.e. Bench that opens up with a storage component – especially good for small homes)

- Store in a place that you won’t be dipping into constantly.



NON-FOOD ITEMS

- Items like toilet paper, can be bulky but it can be stored in garage, attic, shed, etc. moisture will affect it but temperature won’t.
- Non-food items, purposefully 1-2 weeks supply
- Go through entire day and jot down every non-item used. Soap, shampoo, contact solution, etc. buy extras of those.
- Keep easily organized in buckets (i.e. dental, laundry, etc.)
- Give serious consideration to how your family will cope when power is down. Communication, entertainment, What would we do to take care of pets? Keep things cool in the home, etc?



Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Storage information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/store.html

Canning information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html

Drying information
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry.html