I've been reading with great interest the lively discussion going on regarding our founding fathers. All that talk about history and why human beings go to war, coupled with the rumblings between India and Pakistan have me wondering just how long it will be before we have to try to deal with a nuclear war. Is anyone taking notice and stocking up for that? Just how does one prepare for a nuclear war? And do we really want to survive?

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), March 21, 2000

Answers

I don't know how we could prepare for a nuclear war and if we had one, I'm not sure I would want to survive. I just hope my Lord will come for me before that time.

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), March 21, 2000.

I am responsible for too many people, not to prepare for a nuclear war. We got ready for it when we got ready for the possibilities of y2k. Yes, even the potassium iodate for radiation.

There is a saying that was once popular in the insurance business. It goes "All you can do, is all you can do. And that's enough."

If I and my family were not to survive, we will go with grace and we trust in our Lord. (Your family is the only earthy treasure that you can take with you to Heaven.) But, if we have been called to prepare, I want to have been obedient. During the scramble to get all our preps in place last year, I often wondered what it would be, that we were actually preparing for.

There is a wonderful scripture that I put on the refr. "By faith, Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear, built an ark to save his family." Hebrews 11:7

For me, it is not a matter of whether we would want to be here after a nuclear war. It is a matter of discerning what God wants for us and what he expects out of us. I feel that I was called to get my family ready for the worst possible scenario. When y2k came and (seems to) have passed without the worst, - I only started rotating my preps with new purchases, - not dipping in.

I'm planting that garden and those flowers just like life will go right on. I've done all I can do - left no stone unturned - even to the fanatical extent of the ability to bring in a tiny ark's worth of livestock to start again, if need be.

I have no intention of clinging to this world, no matter what. But I will be ready, if I was meant to see to my family's survival. God always has a plan. We don't get to see ahead to our part in that plan

God has this whole thing under control. Our part is easy. Just stay prepared and available.

-- homestead2 (homestead@monroecty.net), March 21, 2000.

I liked the response above, I hadn't looked at it that way. I did prepare for Y2K but have thought that I don't want to suffer from radiation sickness but I guess that is being rather selfish. If I feel the Lord wants me to prepare, I will. I just sometimes think a nuclear war would be the end of the world and the Lord would come take me home. I really don't know and I don't guess anyone else does either. I will pray about it and hope others will do the same.

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), March 21, 2000.

I spent 30 years in the weapons industry and during that time learned more about the effects of nuclear weapons than I wanted to. In fact, what I learned is what motivated me to move beyond the sidewalks. The most unpleasant surprise most people are going to get in the event of a nuclear exchange is the most of the immediate fatalities will be limited to high density populaltion areas. Most of US don't live there and are going to be survivors. Civil unrest will be the biggest problem and the studies I read projected that by the time some sort of order is restored, more deaths will be the result of civil violence than nuclear effects. Survival,in a nutshell, is going to depend on being able to defend your perimeter (use boobytraps - if you get into a gunfight and get wounded it's a good bet you'll die of the resulting infection) and avoid fallout hotspots. Get a gieger counter, enough dosimeters and a charger to cover those in your family. Put away enough black plastic to drap your house so that any fallout which washes off your roof is carried away from the house and doesn't accumulate outside the walls. Old or abandoned military airbases should be avoided as most of them have hardened runways which might serve a dispersal sites for our aircraft are almost certainly terciary, if not secondary targets. Everything else you will need is probably already on hand if you live beyond the sidewalks. Good luck and keep your head down, John

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), March 21, 2000.

Let's not start again with the spam, rice and sand bags. "Keep it simple stupid". Let us speak of peace, out near where the potatoes are going. I can only hope that the brass on my ammo grows green with age and that the blackberries do not take over the place before I die of natural causes, like lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Keep it pleasant.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), March 21, 2000.

i agree. keep it simple. if the lord wants you, there is nothing in this world that will keep you in it. If he wants you here, you are going to be here. we have to prepare because that was what he told us to do. We should all have at least 1 year's supply of food, for us and animals. this includes everything from toilet paper to beding to feed to seed. and yes i am lds

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), March 21, 2000.

I'm with you, Hendo. I just had a meal of canned ham, and homemade bread (getting those supplies down to a manageable level...although I have always had a "generous" pantry). Tonight I was reading about China and Taiwan, and if you think India and Pakistan are hot spots.....sheesh, check that out!

I can't spend the rest of my life worrying about things over which I have no control, so I prepare for contingencies as best as I can, and then I get on with having a life. What's the point of worrying about stuff so much that you miss out on this interesting experience while you prepare for some other possibilities?

I really think we should accept life as unpredictable, prepare alternatives as best as we can, and then find some tranquility in having done so. Then.....have some fun!

Just my $.02...and FWIW, I prepped big time for y2k....and of course, your mileage may vary.....

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), March 21, 2000.

Peg, there is information on surviving nuclear war (and many other things) on the following websites:

Alpha Survival Group www.easley.net/warlord

Rocky Mtn. Survival Group www.artrans.com/rsmg

Don't let the names scare you off. They both have good, solid information, particularly the RMSG site. They have many links, including links to things that are of a homesteading nature as well as war related topics.

And to those who can't bear the thought of preparing for nuclear war, or any other war, remember the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), March 21, 2000.

My farm sits near Washington D.C. , Oak Ridge, Tn and Nitro, W.V.--I am sure they are on the enemies top 10 of first strike targets. So I have a 3 step nucluer war plan---1. pray 2. hug my family 3. place head between legs and kiss my butt goodbye

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), March 22, 2000.

Joel , you are truely blessed if your responses come right of the top of your head .Lets all pray for peace .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), March 22, 2000.

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I'm not in a panic or anything; I agree that we have to keep on keeping on ( and having fun too). I was just listening to the great leaders of India and Pakistan the other night and they sounded like little boys on the playground. "My weapon is bigger than your weapon, and I can beat you up." Each one has to raise the other in this dangerous poker game. The fact that they both have nuclear weapons only makes it worse. And I'm more interested in what the fallout would be like for my animals and garden in the event of ANY kind of nuclear disaster. Sorry to sound so dismal. In real life I'm an optimist.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), March 22, 2000.

There isn't really a lot you can do to protect against nuclear war. You are either in it or you aren't. If you are in the initial blast zone, it is very unlikely you will survive. As to fallout, if you are in a fallout area, including downwind from the original area, you would have to have a safe supply of air for quite awhile depending on how far away from ground zero you are, what is the nuclear source and its half-life rate and how much of a barrier you could have erected ahead of time, i.e. bomb shelter, etc. and most people are not likely to have a facility that can provide that. So really, don't worry about it. If you are within range, you can expect to be a goner and if you are outside of the fallout area then you will be pretty much okay as long as you don't travel to the fallout area. It's pretty much a matter of luck. The only thing you can do is don't buy a farm next to Joel (LOL) and try to locate as far away from obvious targets as you can. The rest is pretty much dumb luck. It's kind of like worrying about whether or not a tractor trailer is going to hit you. If it happens, you are either going to be too close or you will get missed. There is no sense worrying about it because there is not much you can do about it anyway.

-- Colleen (pyramidgreatdanes@erols.com), March 22, 2000.

Colleen, you made some good points but I don't really think anyone is worrying. It's like learning CPR. If you are prepared you are less likely to worry. I'm not sure there is anything we can do to prepare for nuclear war either but I will see what I can learn about it, but believe me, I won't loose any sleep over it!

-- barbara (barbaraj@mis.net), March 22, 2000.

If you don't die right off, you're not directly under the blast. Then you're doing just fine, don't panic. After all didn't you see the 'little girl' from Hiroshima who was badly burned, she was over 50 years old a at the 50th anniversy,a few years back. If she can live so can you. If you know it is coming, go inside, put cardboard over the windows it will block raidiation and keep the glass from cutting you to ribbons. Your worst problem will be fall out. Use lots of water and wash everything off. Hose down above ground crops they are safe to eat. Avoid below ground crops, the roots will concentrate the raidoactivity. For below ground crops you must first 'burn' your soil, put some in a pan, mixed with charcoal and set it a fire. Pour it into a pot and plant your seeds. Keep the faith.

-- Carroll (waelibry@Gvtc.com), March 22, 2000.

This book might be helpful, Nuclear Emergency. I found it at http://user.aol.com/keninga/medtip.htm. I haven't ordered it yet,so I don't know how useful it is.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.comc), March 23, 2000.

Check out these folks.

The price is reasonable and the book is good.

http://oism.org/nwss/index.htm

Has some interesting information.

j

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), March 23, 2000.

I like the response 'kiss your.....goodbye,' best! I live 3 miles from the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan NY, I work 1/2 mile away. As targets go, we're it. My ex and I have a plan, meet at the boatyard! The kids (teenagers now) have been told, forget the evacuation routine, go to the boat! North at 40 knots. Bend over. Pray!

-- Kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), March 23, 2000.

I am near the 7th largest military power in the world. Fort Hood. As far as my feelings go on prep for nuclear war, I can't even begin to prepare for that. If the Lord decides to leave me here, I would have the same good supply of food and ammo that I do now. That's all. I would climb up on the roof , praise God for the time I had, sit down and watch the fireworks. I also would pray that He would spare me from surviving such a thing.Selfish, perhaps, but oh my, it's so inconceivable to me.

-- Doreen Davenport (livinginskin@yahoo.com), March 24, 2000.

Veddy intareasting! Soo many plans, so little time! Well, we might as well adopt Schultz's philosophy - "I know nuthing!" Realistically, folks, nuclear nastiness is probably unlikely, though certainly not out of the question. Being a fatalist, I figure we get what we get. Think back to the Black Plague. Some survived, some didn't. Panic, I suppose. But poorer communication. Don't worry about it! I will either grow veggies that glow in the dark, or fertilize same with my nutrients. Better we should think about the tax burden or slimy politicians. With those, at least we have a chance. So register, and vote (Libertarian! Sorry, couldn't help myself!) Brad, the Quiet

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), March 26, 2000.

Peg, You know it might happen, nuclear war is now in the hands of people who are not rational. I really do not have a place to store a years worth of food for myself and my livestock. But everyone wants to live and have their families live. Besides Wichita and those airplane factories, there isn't much in Kansas to destroy, and most people don't know where Kansas is for sure, and think it is full of miles and miles of wheat! So, we might get overlooked[again]. It sure is worth a try. One thing we do have going for us is, we help each other. It may be a country thing but it is a fact. If anyone needs help around here they will get it. Too many people are ready to kill everyone else in their zeal to survive, I saw this with the Y2K scare. Personally, I don't want to live with the shoot-first- and-ask-question-later folks anymore than the looters. karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoamama@hotmail.com), March 27, 2000.