What is the greatest threat to our survival?

[CrazyCrowsurvival]

What do you think is most likely to happen in our life time?

Peak oil collapse?
Economic collapse?
Pandimic?
other?

[RangerRick]

What do you think is most likely to happen in our life time?

Peak oil collapse?
Economic collapse?
Pandimic?
other?

To answer your subject question, our politicians are the greatest threat to our survival. We quite literally have the best nation but the worst politicans in the world.

Economic collapses have happened in the past and I can see no reason why we won't have another in this country at any time.

Rick

[Farmer]

All the big industries have perfected the art of taking advantage of the American public. Insurance, banking, communications and energy companies have lobbied and pac'ed themselves into a position where they can charge as much as they want and deliver as little as they want. Most of us are unhappy about this.

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is being forced to carry the ever-increasing burden of financing this country's excesses. The poor are unhappy about it, the middle class are unhappy about it and the rich don't care.

Heavy manufacturing in the US is gone. We've dropped out of the basic industries, and we just plain don't make anything any more. During this country's development much of our wealth was created by turning raw materials into highly profitable finished goods - providing good incomes for workers at each step on the way.

Someone got paid to mine the raw material. Someone got paid to turn it into a useable form. Someone got paid to take that useable product and further process or shape or assemble and on and on until an end product was built and sold. Everyone was pretty happy with this. Except the industry owners, who see all those happy wage-earners as eaters of the profits that could be going into their own pockets.

Nowadays a company simply goes "offshore" and has a product built (sending some of our wealth "offshore"), brings it in and sells it. Shippers make some money and the selling organization makes some money and that's about it. The products are lesser quality, so the public (who probably borrowed money to buy it) has to replace them more frequently. Anyone intelligent is not happy with this.

We are too crowded. People have become rude and selfish. We are no longer a melting pot. Instead the different factions within the US have become increasingly polarized, and increasingly competitive. We are not a happy society anymore.

We are busy abdicating our responsibilities by allowing the few to determine what's going to be left for the many. When the populace wakes up to the fact that there's just not enough to go around, life will get very interesting.

So. Long answer to a short question. The greatest threat to our survival is .... us.

[CrazyCrowsurvival]

Great answer Farmer. I was hoping someone would be wise enough to give the correct response, at least in the same way I see it.

I wrote an article on my blog (Crazy Crow Survival blog) that I think would interest you, it can be found at :

http://crazycrowsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/food-for-thought.html

[Jeff]

Greatest threat: Overpopulation.

If the human population magically dropped to 10% of its current level, most of our world problems would disappear.

Human overpopulation is about to collapse many of the resources that are supporting it. It's like a house of cards. You can only go so high and then it will come tumbling back down.

It's just a matter of time. "In our lifetime?" It wouldn't surprise me.

[WileyCoyote]

Sorry, guys, I'm not buying the whole "peak oil collapse" stuff.
Fact is that there is still billions of barrels of oil under the ground, and the oil companies are paying big bucks to people still to wrest it out of the ground. A lot of them are pillaging public lands to do it, too; so are paying even less... and that's just in this country. The oil shortage is a farce, just like it was in the Carter administration. It's being promulgated by liberals and conservatives alike to control segments of the population, garner votes, incite prejudices, etc. The biggest problem with US oil is that our own government restricted the number of refineries that could be built; so, no matter how much oil we pull out of Alaska or Montana or Illinois or anywhere else, there is only so much that can be refined for use... and the prices can go up accordingly.
Farmer's right; it's all about the big corporations making big bucks off of their Congresscritters/puppets while the rest of us sit far down the hill and fight amongst ourselves about everything from abortion and religion to illegal immigrants.
As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is Us."

[alma]

Thanks crazycrow.

What a lot of survival info on your site!

It's take me awhile to read and print up some of it for my own use.

I might add a few things that i would change for myself later, if and when i get to use the computer again today. love, alma

Oh, the greatest threat to our survival is US, for sure.

--we are all being mentally kloned and divested of all the quality and quantity necessary to our individual and collective survival, divided to be conquered.

Entertained, divided, distracted into oblivion.

Inlated Egos!
Self satisfaction!
Self righteousness!

My politics, My socio-economic status, My intellectual capacity, My moral integrity are infinitely superiour to yours. My nation! My God! In EVERY WAY I am better than thou! love, alma

[CrazyCrowsurvival]

Thanks alma, glad you like Crazy Crow Survival Blog. I just started it about a month ago and it seems to be doing fairly well in such a short time.

I totally agree, we are the biggest threat to our own survival. More people = more trouble.

Crazy Crow

[wax]

Crazy- What is the greatest threat to our survival?
Peak oil collapse?
Economic collapse?
Pandimic?
other?

Rick- politicians...

Farmer- big industries... The rich are getting richer...

Jeff- Overpopulation

Alma- US...

Wax- Wow! We have answers to a question that wasn't really formed that well.
The point is of course what do you mean by "our survival"?

Greatest threat to mankind (Homo Sapien)? = Local Supernova.
Could happen any instant but one is not expected for another million years give or take.

Greatest threat to... Society in general? = Hmm... hard to say but there are patterns in history which support almost all of the answers given so far.
Add over population with "who "we" are" to a much more important function and the fact is that history has a cycle already programmed into the structure to take care of "us"...

Fundamentalism, plain and simple!
And it doesn't matter how or why.
The Right has it's fundamental stance and the left has it's.
So do the Jews and the Muslims.
So do the backwoodsmen and the urbanites.

History is extremely clear concerning what is about to happen.

But then that brings us to the greatest threat of "ours" or "me and mine".
Perhaps a lack of conviction but since I carry enough for twelve Leif Ericksons and six or seven Khans then the question becomes quite specific: What is "your" greatest threat to survival?

[torenghout]

Our own arrogance,


I deserve to drive a tank, I don't like the color of cf bulbs, I don't eat beans, I need a 8000 sq' house to be happy.....

life is living, not flaunting excess

[CA357]

#1 The hijacking of the Bill of Rights
#2 The Leftwing/socialist "feel gooders" that are destroying self determination
#3 A bloated and too powerful government
#4 Increasingly militarized Police Forces
#5 The abdication of personal responsibility
#6 The entitlement mentality
#7 The Islamic/Jihad
#8 Illegal immigration

[Rafael]

#1 The hijacking of the Bill of Rights
#2 The Leftwing/socialist "feel gooders" that are destroying self determination
#3 A bloated and too powerful government
#4 Increasingly militarized Police Forces
#5 The abdication of personal responsibility
#6 The entitlement mentality
#7 The Islamic/Jihad
#8 Illegal immigration


#1 is the reason that the rest are allowed to be a problem.

[idris]

AT all times,and in all places, it is that fine mixture of GREED and STUPIDITY, which History is rife with, whether on the grand scale, or personally.

[Txanne]

#1 The hijacking of the Bill of Rights
#2 The Leftwing/socialist "feel gooders" that are destroying self determination
#3 A bloated and too powerful government
#4 Increasingly militarized Police Forces
#5 The abdication of personal responsibility
#6 The entitlement mentality
#7 The Islamic/Jihad
#8 Illegal immigration



#1 is our fault--we have let it happen.

And I totally agree with your list.


Txanne

[jjspirko]

Depends on how one reads this question as to how it gets answered does it not?

For instance if you ask me as an individual what the biggest threat to my survival is the answer is pretty easy statistically, it is getting killed in my car on the interstate on the way to and from work. After that heart attack, stroke and cancer probably all fight over the next three places.

Move to my home and household and living in North Texas there is no question my biggest threat is tornadic activity. After that I guess strait line winds during severe weather. Flooding is possible though if my home is flooded even bit half the city would be gone. To far in from shore to fear hurricane as anything other then a source of that bad weather we get anyway. Wild fire ain't likely here, local riots would likely focus on Dallas or Ft. Worth so we could have that issue but not likely in the way LA did at least at my residence. Of all these riots would be the easiest to handle as I could quickly convince would be rioters that my place has a substantial negative risk vs reward ratio.

Now on the National or Global scale which is I believe the intent of the question. I have to say the biggest risk from a percentage stand is Pandemic. This one is a very good reason to stock pile food, etc. The best way to survive this will be to shelter in place and don't get exposed to others until the disease runs its' cycle.

I am not big on the belief that the "black helicopters" are coming. If something like that happens all you guys that think you will hole up and fight off the troops are kidding yourselves anyway. Just ask the whack jobs how well that works out in Iraq once their location is known. Oh yea that's right those guys can't provide any input. ;)

Global government is a huge "threat" to our way of life but not to our lives or even our survival as a people. This threat is far more of a silent snail then the pending SHTF doomsday fantasized about by many survivalists. The storm troopers will never come, if they did we could fight them and indeed the 25 million plus deer hunters alone in the US would prove a big problem for said troopers. This global attack is more of a hard to detect cancer then a hard hitting virus.

How is it coming

Global Warming - Look at this point even the founder of the weather channel has called global warming a "scam". The planet warms and chills. Don't you remember the people in the 70s and 80s on the news saying we were about to come into a new ice age. Global warming at the global government scale is about TAXATION! Most of the world is made up of socialists that believe the top 10% of income earners should pay 90% of the tax.

Now here is the problem with that statistic no matter how poor you are, if you have at least a minimum wage job and a place to live you are in the top 10%. If you make 6 figures you are in real deep crap as you are in the top .001%!

It is important to understand that no government exists to solely harm individuals. At their core they exist to serve the masses from a specific ideology. Most government officials think they are actually helping! Don't think I am being soft this makes them MORE not less dangerous. Consider you had a choice to negotiate with a criminal trying to steal money just to steal it holding 20 people hostage or a religious zealot who thinks Armageddon is at hand holding the same 20 people hostage. Who would you rather negotiate with? People that believe in what they are doing are capable of atrocities that those who do it only for personal gain could never commit.

My view is that the socialist minded individuals have decided that global warming is a great way into "their vision" for the earth. If it fails there will come a new "danger" they will use. Why do you think China is immune to the Kyoto treaty? No need to socialize China is there. Don't go holding up India as the capitalist example as they are pretty damn socialist too.

Look around the US is the last bastion of true capitalism and we are far from the free land we were just 120 years ago. The erosion is SLOW and STEADY. It won't come on one dark night, it will be given away piece by piece over time. Through the ignorance of a people who have failed to understand the simple words of, "those who will sacrifice liberty for safety, deserve neither liberty or safety."

I however, have some faith that my people just might wake up and change things. One election day could change the course of our nation. Just one! One day where we vote out every single incumbent regardless of political party. The US can have a "bloodless coup" anytime we choose. The key is will we do it before that option is taken away too?

[Southern_Gent]

Well, jjspiko, I must admit that yours was a refreshing post. In my personal opinion, it appears that you've got a good grasp on the issues at hand. The only thing I'd raise an issue with is the whole bloodless coup item about voting out the incumbents. What with the propaganda that exists in media (all forms) and Internet, I dare say it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to organize the country on a whole to effect such change.

[jjspirko]

Well, jjspiko, I must admit that yours was a refreshing post. In my personal opinion, it appears that you've got a good grasp on the issues at hand. The only thing I'd raise an issue with is the whole bloodless coup item about voting out the incumbents. What with the propaganda that exists in media (all forms) and Internet, I dare say it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to organize the country on a whole to effect such change.


Hey thanks for the kind words and let me say I don't disagree with how unlikely it is that we would "throw the bums out". The issue there is the entitlement attitude. The Y generation is riddled with it like cancer. I know, I employ them. I am a gen X'r not some old timer either. I can tell you in another generation, two at most, we will just give it away if things stay on course as they are.

[Mac_Muz]

linkee no workee
http://crazycrowsurvivalblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/food-for-thought.html

nor this: http://crazycrowsurvivalblog.blogspot.com

[Sebastian_Haff]

What do you think is most likely to happen in our life time?

Peak oil collapse?
Economic collapse?
Pandimic?
other?

The human race itself.

[flatwater]

Crazycrow



not to simplify things to much but the number one problem is


Sin

Flatwater

[CA357]

Claire Wolfe said it perfectly: "America is at that awkward stage, it's too late to work within the system and too soon to shoot the bastards."

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear CrazyCrow,

I can't access your Blog either, so I'll say either censorship or crappy Web Servers are the greatest threat to our survival.

;)

Seriously, you are right in this respect: The biggest threat to our survival, as individuals and as a species, is our own unwillingness to think intelligently and act couragously to solve the problems of survival. *

When we aren't willing to think intelligently and act courageously, the hazards of nature--floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, avalanche--overwhelm us and the bounties of nature which can provide for us all go to waste. *

Also, when when we don't think and act as rational animals, the predators among us--the streetcorner thugs, the con-artists, the Statist politicians in State Capitols and D.C., the Islamofascist terrorists and the Commissars of Red China--all sniff weakness and move in for their prey.

So, the greatest threat to our survival is our own irrationality and cowardice...and our greatest survival tools are reason and courage.

[Dagny]

Greed. People who are never satisfied with what they have and an economy that's founded on never-ending growth are doomed to implode, IMO.

[JBinKC]

Capitalism as defined by Adam Smith and is the general model of our economy.

Eventually all of the evils of overpopulation and limited resources begin to pop up and technological improvements of efficiency will not be able to keep up with the growth.

[hillsidedigger]

Peak oil is real, it is here and it has been caused by only about 1/5th. of the world's people. When a good many of the other 4/5ths. of the world's people get a little richer the remaining oil will mostly disappear in a flash. Even if the world had never had more than 1/10th. the current number of people, Peak Oil would have still happened, it may have taken a few more decades.

Human caused climate change and alteration of other essential natural systems is real and caused by too many people on too small a planet. The effects might be less if the 10 (or more) times too many people lived differently.

Loss of bio-diversity is another big threat and is also caused *by too many people.

So the greatest threat to the continuation of civilized people is 'unleashed consumerism' by too many people. Consumerism was once considered to be a vice and quite unhealthy, it might even be considered to be 'The Mark of the Beast', written about in Revelation.

If each could mostly provide mostly for theirselves and not more than replace themself with children the world of people and civilization might have a chance to get back down eventually to a reasonable number (300 million) of people and continue indefinitely.

[jjspirko]

Peak oil is real, it is here and it has been caused by only about 1/5th. of the world's people. When a good many of the other 4/5ths. of the world's people get a little richer the remaining oil will mostly disappear in a flash. Even if the world had never had more than 1/10th. the current number of people, Peak Oil would have still happened, it may have taken a few more decades.

Human caused climate change and alteration of other essential natural systems is real and caused by too many people on too small a planet. The effects might be less if the 10 (or more) times too many people lived differently.




It amazes me how most of the "environmental" folks don't see the relationship here. You hear it over and over.

Basically global warming is going to kill us all because of burning to much oil we have to stop. In the same breath we hear that peak oil is here, not coming but here. That we will now see a decline in production and soon all the oil will be gone.

Really? Then doesn't problem two (big a problem as it would be) actually solve problem one?

In other words if you are true believer in peak oil being here and really think we only have a few decades left you don't really need to worry about global warming from burning oil now do you,
???

[Southerngirl]

The only part I want to add about the post here is about the oil here in our country, it's here, they are drilling on the back of our property, or should I say the oil is free flowing they don't have to pump it out yet, but it's not paying worth a s**t!
So where is the money going that we aren't getting from it?
Guess our politicians are going to have another good year financially.
There are tons of oil well pumps around here in OK, just about every mile section, so why do we need any offshore?
Southerngirl

[Southerngirl]

To answer your question, in my opinion, what is the greatest threat to our survival?
I would have to say our government and people in general. You hear about the old stories of people in the Great Depression of people pulling together and making it through hard times, I just can't see the majority of the people helping and repeating how our ancestors made it in the past. They are just too damn greedy now! Oh I'm sure there were some back then too, but for the most part, people are hateful, selfish, greedy, and just plain out mean! We have our small group of friends/family that we will trust and hope that we would meet more good people when it comes time to pull together more.
Southerngirl

[Archangel]

1900 world population 3 billion people
2000 world population 6 billion people
2050 world population 9 billion people :o
I believe it has already started with the water wars,
Next it starvation, :P
US will react and we will lose our freedoms, like they did during WWII. ???

Yes, news was controlled
Food and fuel was rationed,
Everyone was in the war effort.

That is what I see for our future. So start growing your food now.
Michael

[sethwyo]

economic collapse has already happened. People dont believe me, But it has already happened.

Oil running out will NEVER happen, there was a story on 20/20 with john stosnl (?) about the huge oil reserves in the world,in a small area in canada alone there is a reserve that will supply the US for 100 years.

People are the greatest threat to people, There are too many people in the world, few of them know how to provide for themselvs.