SHTFblog.com - are YOU ready?

Bison had an interesting post yesterday on some homeless dude he found sleeping outside. Bison’s advice was to secure homeless essentials like a sleeping bag, wool blanket, cheap land, van, etc. The matter gets more complicated if you have a family, but I generally like these smaller, less global, more personal SHTF discussions, because they have a just as high (if not higher) chance of happening.

The intent of this post is not to expand on Bison’s gear suggestions, however. I’m proposing that, should you find yourself homeless, there are many community resources you can utilize. Bison alluded to the fact that should MANY people suddenly find themselves homeless (a more global SHTF situation), resources will be hard to come by, and cold weather will hurt, so head South! Should it be a more individual homeless situation, I’d also suggest a premier homeless destination to the north – Burlington, Vermont!

I attended a 3-day conference in Burlington a few years ago. The thought of heading to bed early the first night only to rise bright and alert for boring sessions of boring talk from boring people . . . bored me, so I bought a fat stogie and headed out for a night on the town. I sat down on a bench on Church Street to people watch, when I struck up a conversation with a homeless dude wearing an NRA hat. He was thin, in his early 60’s, had a thick beard, and a maniacal laugh. This guy was not your typical homeless dude, though. Well, he was drunk, but . . . he was also smart. I ended up hanging out with the guy each night I was there. His drunk, guitar playing buddies had a little to be desired, but hey – whatever. Our conversations typically focused on politics and homelessness. His words stuck in my head ever since, and I share a portion of his “words of wisdom” with you now. These are all true statements.

“I live in a tent . . . not far from here.”

“Maaaan, I can go down the street here in the morning and get a hot breakfast for free. I can go a few streets over and get lunch for free, all for the homeless. These are gooood sandwiches, man. Fresh tomatoes, ham, all that; sliced right there on the bread of your choice.”

“Hey, you got any weed?”

“Drugs are a serious problem around here. It used to just be the magic mushrooms and stuff, but now it’s all heroin and crap. These guys walk around here looking like zombies. We’ve got a new methadone clinic, and that don’t help. Now instead of having a monkey on their back they’ve got a government monkey on their back.”

“There’s a restaurant up the street that’ll give me a free sandwich once in a while.”

“Hey, can I have a cigar?”

“Yeah, they [the government] contribute to this homeless problem by making it so easy to get by.”

“You goin’ fishin’ while you’re here? I go every morning.”

“Maaaan, I saw in the paper where these college kids got busted for selling all kinds of drugs. The cops seized a massive stash, and a pile of money. WHAT were they thinking!? You NEVER keep your drugs and your money in the same place! When you go to court, you need that cash for a lawyer. I ain’t takin’ no ‘court appointed’ attorney. You gotta have that money to hire the best! And they were BUSINESS majors! Stupid.”

Those are some of the highlights I remember from our multi-evening discussion. Could he have worked a job if he wanted to? I saw no reason why not. Was homelessness a choice? I suspect so, but I also suspect he’d readily admit it, and place blame on no one. He was content and happy. During winter months he went to a shelter, stayed in his tent, or crashed on the floor in some buddy’s apartment.

In summary, if you suddenly find yourself homeless with nowhere to turn (no cheap land or cheap van) – pick a liberal city to wander. They love giving stuff to homeless folk. Hop on a bus to Burlington, Vermont. In the world of the homeless – it’s all the rage. Tell ‘em Ranger Man sent you, and if you see a dude wearing an NRA hat on Church Street, sit down and give him a cigar. He’ll tell you the state of the world.

- Ranger Man

BTW: Portland, Maine has equally liberal benefits for the homeless, but head to Burlington instead.

Remember, should many people suddenly find themselves homeless and community resources get strained, dumpster diving is always an option.

Lastly, for entertainment’s sake, below is the original image I used for Betty the Survival Babe, the new SHTFblog cohort. I gave her some color (i.e. “lovin”) and put her on a black background. Putting the M16 on black proved interesting, but remember! Drain before shooting.

. . . . . . did she say “lubing”?

BTW x2: Do me a favor today. Tell someone you know to check out SHTFblog.

Do it for Betty. Do it today.