Originally Posted By: Pete
for long-term survival you have got to have the support of the community where you live. that's one reason why people espousing very radical and extreme views are unlikely to succeed over very long time period - they risk alienating their local communities (let alone the folks living in the capital of the country).
Pete


Pete,

Thanks for this insight! For me, it poses an answer to a question that has been bothering me since I found out about the Bielski's. This lead to a wider reading about the rise of Nazism and the Warsaw Ghetto.

Specifically, during the early 30's, there was increased exodus of Jews from Germany. However, Judenrats were formed which largely espoused cooperation with the Nazi's. Even when leaders were executed and new Judenrat leaders were appointed, there was a feeling that things could only get better when the evidence was (in retrospect) clearly in the other direction. Those who attempted escape from the ghettos were suppressed by both the Nazis and the Judenrat leaders.

It would appear that humans are wedded to the status quo and maintaining the approval of peers. It is only in retrospect that the Bielski's were shown to be right and the majority wrong.
In today's terminology, the Bielski's were clearly "terrorists" that need to be caught.

This, however, gives very little guidance for the NEXT time that it happens except for the dictum "survivors survive" and the need for community based preparation.

My town doesn't do too badly. During Hurricane Sandy/Irene and recent power outages, the school (on generator) was opened as a community center complete with entertainment for the kids, internet for the parents, school cafeteria for food/water and showers in the school gym, MRE's available. Short of complete civil disorder like Katrina, we are prepared. The system has been tested three times in recent years and each response was better than the last; there is nothing like the real thing to test preparations.

I suspect that my town is NOT prepared for Fukushima (important since we are between TWO nuclear reactors). Given prevailing winds, I THINK I am downwind of one of them most of the year. I am definitely within the NRC 50 mile evacuation radius of both.
I have told my wife to go North using secondary roads that I don't expect to be too congested but a rendezvous location has yet to be determined. If I am at work, I would have to stay tight since NYC is can not be evacuated.

Hopefully, we will never get tested on complete civil collapse.