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The following is a response addressing concerns of those to whom a proposed “Plan B” bug-out scheme had been provided by a larger, existing group to multiple smaller groups. This larger group had extended an invitation to smaller groups that are lacking the financial and over-all resources of that larger group. This is a series of responses that have been/were made to the chief “officers” of the smaller groups. The basic proposal is for a 60-day, temporary sheltering at a safe location with provision capabilities for a larger group of individuals and families beyond the recognized community/core member group. This is provided so that if your group is looking at a similar situation, you can use it as a basis to get started.

The word “exigent” is defined in criminal law as “an emergency situation requiring swift action to prevent imminent danger to life or serious damage to property.” There is no ready litmus test for determining whether such circumstances exist, and in each case the extraordinary situation must be measured based upon the facts known by officials. The circumstances are those that would cause a reasonable person to believe that entry (or other relevant prompt action) was necessary to prevent physical harm to persons. I’ve used the term “exigent” for a good reason. It is taken a bit out of the normal legal context, but it is very appropriate for what we are considering and has been proposed. We are talking about extraordinary circumstances. We are talking about preventing loss of life to those we think we might be able to save (and will do their best to aid, not detract or weaken, those who they seek assistance from).

Questions and Answers to Leaders of Various Exigent Groups

Let’s get all concerns, or as much as possible, out of the way right here right now. It goes hand-in-hand with the organizational needs of any and all groups. As the tentative leader of your group, it will be to you that your group’s individuals will (and must) direct their questions. It’s not me nor anyone who is a member of the community group in the bylaw papers who they will seek. It is the only way any such operation can or will work properly.

• On simple matters, “…for things like…, will we have a vote, a say in how things are done there? No. You will be responsible for yourselves and follow the rules that are in place. This is the correct answer. How one governs himself and their family, or those they are in turn responsible for is what is of paramount importance.
• “What if the crisis lasts longer than 60 days?…” It most likely will. The correct answer is that the community I’d dare say will know that is the case and will decide what to do based on resources utilized over the past two months that have gone by; in general, we’ll look at how things have evolved to that point in time. Again, if those who are temporary, “exigent” members will recall, it is and will be that they must prove themselves to the community. It’s not the other way around. If they do so, things will work out fine then.
• “If you bring us in for 60 days with 60 days worth of food, and then after the 60 days you want us to stay, what about food?” First, it’s dependent upon the numbers involved, as all provisions always have a limit. No matter how many or for how long, nothing is limitless; everything will require resupply and re-provisioning by the group and all individuals. Second, the community does have a large quantity of what could be called “emergency” rations. This includes mostly rice, beans, and similar items. Everyone will have to be a part in the process of securing food, one way or the other, through foraging, scavenging, rationing, or something else. If it was a brutal enough world “out there” hungry people lose their preconceived concepts of right and wrong. Furthermore, the 60 day time marker is a good one. No assumption should be made that any request for a prolonged stay will be forthcoming. I must reiterate that it is not the community that must alter to fit anyone’s needs, it is the individual(s) that must. All individuals are responsible to earn their keep. No exceptions. No special privileges.

  I’ll mention “ifs” later, but you neglected the biggest “if” in your question; it’s the part about “if you want us to stay…” That is a big ‘if’, all right. Remember the word “exigent” and the circumstances surrounding this proposal– extraordinary circumstances.

  All people need to think of their futures. At 60 days, hopefully all will have some idea of what is to be done next. Your eventual goal is to have your own home, or to return to salvage, rebuild, and restore what was once yours. None of us believe in communism. None of us wish for some hippie-style communal living for our futures– at least none I know of in the community. Are we not all free Americans, able to think for ourselves, be, live, do for ourselves? I often reflect that this entire prepping process has seen the strangest of mergers of the oldschool flower-power days with a military adjunct. It isn’t. We’re trying to retain what was built upon– our rights, lives, liberties, and the pursuit of happiness. None of us embody or consider any other ideas of those four things as some universal constraints to be applied to all other Americans. However, we certainly allow for others to seek their own meanings to these.

• “How much space for living quarters will we have?” That is the purpose of the roster and information sheet. We won’t know until the number of influx is counted and ascertained. The more people, the less room. It’s basic geometric simplicity at its finest.
• “Suppose we run out of… (fill in the blank)?” If you’re talking about water, you won’t. If you’re referring to food, there are emergency supplies that would last a while. One job that will be needed to be done is re-procurement and replacement of what is used up.
• “I have a special need (fill in the condition)… and will need preferential treatment… (of some kind)”. The simple answer is that you will then have to supply any special need for yourself or for the individual that requires it. There simply will no longer be a welfare state.

  Just remember, beyond a safe location, water, some basic triage medical facilities, a defense network, and a lot of jobs that will need to be filled and done, everyone will work without exception– no one is exempt, and everyone will have a task and be expected to do it (multiple tasks) to the very best of their ability.

  The democratic process does not exist on private property. I use the example that if I visit a home and am invited into the living room and then find that I need to use the head/john, I ask, “May I use the facilities?” If granted a “yes”, I then ask, “Where is it located?” Upon receiving that answer and permission, it means only that I may use the plumbing. It does not mean that I may wander around the house opening cabinets and drawers in any room I may pass or see. That same rule applies to the community site. The case where I might be denied use of the head/john means what? It means that I must leave and seek relief elsewhere. Otherwise, I may hold it and stay put, as uncomfortable as I might be. My proposal needs to be understood as it is intended and not as it is assumed to be, hoped to be, or even perhaps as anyone thinks it should be. It must be taken just as it is. It’s fairly simple, and though I personally hate the word “fair” because I do not believe there exists such a phenomena as “fair” upon this earth in this life, I do feel it could actually be just that– fair. It is an offer, a proposal, simple, direct, and up to the persons being offered what they will make of it.

• What if I was asked to do something that conflicted with my moral convictions before God. Are there provisions for a consciousness objection?

  Sure. You would leave. You’d take what you brought with you and simply depart, and you would not be allowed to return. You’d be asked to be silent, considered maybe not an enemy but never again a part of the group in terms of any demand or assistance you may require down the road.

  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” , nor will the group. Regarding the freedom of speech, we as people do need to talk and to exercise the ability to speak, or so it seems. However, this situation would not be a democracy. Once again, I must repeat what I’ve said; there is and would be a strict chain of command. A private or a recruit does not address or demand an audience with an officer in the military…ever. Speech amongst yourselves is fine, but to the community it’s only to your immediate person responsible for you…only. Read the amendments.

  We are of four parts– physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. All must act in concert. All must grow and become together, equally, as we are those.

• What would we live in and shower in (i.e. tent, camper, etc)?

  You tell me. You will be allotted a space. You can park a camper, pitch a tent, or live in a car or truck or van. That is your responsibility. As long as you can be able to leave within a 30-minute time span. That time limit is not chosen randomly. It is for multiple reasons. That’s the best possible guess as to a maximum amount of time it would require for all to bug-out of the area if push came to shove. Never forget that nowhere is completely safe in a world like we’d be living in, if it had already necessitated such a mass of people seeking security as they had and were there at the community site at the time. In addition, permanence is not a “given” for anyone who is “exigent”. No tolerance of wrong-doing would be shown. Thirty minutes is all it should take to prepare a bug out to get to the site, and it’s all it should take to leave it.

  Showers would be communal at a central facility, unless your vehicle provides its own facility and the means to keep it running/filled. Water rationing is a must. Always remember that. Life would have changed or you would not be out there. There is no long leisurely bathing to be expected or provided for. Hark back a hundred years, say to pre-WWII days. People did not bathe daily, and when they did, often they bathed as a family. In short, you will stink at times. You learn to live with it.

• What about sewer treatment with such an influx of people?

  There is an existing septic system, recently improved, but like any system, it can’t exist without maintenance. Any system’s operation is dependent for proper operation on the simple fact of how many are utilizing it. Gone are the days of flushing the toilet and “that’s that”; there is no more thought given. If you are there at the community site, you most likely will have as one of many chores the constant digging of the latrine ditch-works or similar facilities at some point. Think militarily. Finally, septic hygiene is an excellent question all in all. It is something that must be fully understood by all and thought of. No tolerance of relieving oneself wherever the urge pressed you to go would or could be safely allowed, especially with more people. Diseases, medieval in nature, would rapidly appear. Cholera, typhus, dysentery and so on are not good ways to die.

• Will there be any climate-controlled facility to store our food in?

  Boy, I had to really rein myself in here on answering this one. You need to study up. You can dig a hole to gain some cooling effects. You can shade your provisions, but this is *** (a southern state)*** and it gets hot here, miserably hot and humid. All foodstuffs need to be able to endure the climate or be discarded once it’s gone bad. Read up on dry goods– rice, flour, sugar, beans, dried meat and fish, canned goods, dehydrated or freeze-dried foods, and salt. That last item will be the most crucial. Salt, vinegar, or brine will be the primary preservative for our needs, if such a calamitous event does occur to cause us all to leave our homes and seek shelter at the community. Climate control? One good and viable suggestion is to look up Zeer pots. Those would assist and do a fair job of somewhat of a climate-control mechanism for food, and they are possible. Otherwise, like the question about a shower facility, the answer is for you to bring a fridge along that you can fuel or power on your own, and be sure it doesn’t fall outside of the noise restrictions that may be in place. Then, you’ve got something cool.

• Is a list of medical supplies required from individuals and families?

  The listing of medical supplies for exigent members is for your own familial uses, primarily. The community also needs knowledge of what medical– physical and psychological– conditions are present at the site, as a part of the make-up of all persons present. Additionally, medications would make good barter goods. They would also be a good way to contribute to the community, if they are non-essential surplus to your own medical needs. Of course, a good chemist is always being sought by the community.