Prepper Anxiety Poll #9, Oct. 15, '04

Please post a brief explanation here (and links to current relevant threads) so that, in the future, we can go back and reference the issues that were on people's minds.

This is the ninth poll in the series. Pete/ME should be posting a graph in this thread representing the previous poll results.

The first poll, June 16--average score, 1.83:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...threadid=104207

The second poll, July 1--average score, 1.65:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=106303<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

The third poll, July 15--average score, 1.91:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=108265

The fourth poll, August 1--average score, 1.85:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=111006

The fifth poll, August 15--average score, 1.65:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=113376

The sixth poll, September 1--average score, 1.89:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=116464
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The seventh poll, September 15--average score, 1.94:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=118574

The eighth poll, October 1--average score, 1.76:
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=118574<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

with the up comming elections, i am a bit unnerved to say the least.

Guess I'm somewhere between watchful and glued to the screen. Until the election is over, nobody in this family is going anywhere. Worried more about the economy than anything else.

I am far more concerned with the election results and also the fact that their will be tons of litagation re the elections. If Kerry gets elected I will be prepping even harder than I am. He scares me more than UBL right now.

Taz

voted watchful and ready, but sometmes this escalates to glued to the screen as we approach elections, and ass doomer dates come, and thankfully go.

Sort of with the others: voted watchful and ready but with an edge that keeps me a little edgy esp in regard to elections and the aftermath of that right on up to inauguration. Economy doesn't make me feel any better either. This is the first time I have voted. Maybe that is the real indication of my state of mind. LC

Watchful, prepped, and Waiting.

Still at just a bit concerned.

There will be a fracas over the election results no matter who wins and we'll have to suffer with four more years of whining no matter who wins as well.

.....Alan.

With the election looming, I am a bit more concerned than I indicated in the past polls. I am travelling to London on 10-25 to return 11-1 (the day before election day) so if anything does happen, I won't be here!
Jack

A bit concerned here. Something nameless and undefined stirring somewhere underneath that is waiting and watching while I go about my business acting as though it is not a concern. Feel a need to check TB and CNN several times throughout the day and breathe a sigh of relief each time I realize--not yet.

Another vote for somewhere between watchful and glued to the screen. I will be a little on edge until the elections are over peacefully (and I hope they do end peacefully).

Kathleen

A bit concerned due to the dollar and some of the stuff posted here about oil and economy

Every day is a prep day for me. . .has been since pre-rollover. There isn't a day that goes by without me either adding some small thing (or large, if funds available) to my preps. Or, at the very least, I'm thinking about preps.

BugoutBear

My thoughts are much like BugoutBear. Every day is a prep day. If I am not buying something for my preps, I am thinking about what to buy. Or I am thinking how I can move somehing, to make room for more preps.

Watchful, prepped, and waiting.

I've been pretty well prepped, since Y2K, also. I still add to the supplies, as I rotate them. Of course, who can't think of extra things they would like to add to their cache. It's never ending, but I still feel pretty ready for most possibilities.

Of course, an earthquake or tornado could decimate our preps in a flash.
The rest has to be left to God.

The predicted devaluation of the dollar is a definite concern....having commodities seems like the safest way to go (incl. PM's, for those who are able.)

Since we're talking concerns, one of the biggest is the specter of the draft....the candidates deny there will be one, but don't believe them. All it will take is another attack either by a terrorist or govt. contrived, and the Administration will call for a draft.

FDR promised he would never send our military overseas to fight, and then he was responsible for the Japs to attack Pearl Harbor,---he put an oil embargo on the country, knowing the Japanese would be fighting mad and also knowing the resulting loss of life and property in Pearl Harbor would cause this country to be fighting mad and be ready to be sent over overseas to battle.

Our military is so spread out all over the world in about 140 countries...the supply of young people wanting to go to Iraq is going to need replenishing. More of them are wising up and don't want any part in the military.

Here's the chart... I think we're starting to see a pattern...
FWIW, the current level today is at 1.90 with 91 votes in.

I had an urge to top of my tank this evening. Even drove 20 minutes to town to fill er up. Don't know why, just an urge.

Ditto on the election concerns, but more watchful than 'glued'.

lots of possibilities but no resolution

OK, my first poll on anxiety. Got to admit, been looking more closely at the news, especially TB2k. So many loose ends, none ever seem to be tied up

avian flu now in Java (will post soon if not already on here), other flu with vaccine paniques, probable trouble with the elections, either contested or claims of fraud and intimidation, Iraq not settling, Iran has their nuke facility (was actually first on the list) and NK all hanging. Israel making friends the usual way. The economy teetering on high fuel prices and who knows what will be the next terrorist incident. They seem to be getting worse and more frequent. That last in Russia was a horror. Locusts, heat waves, earthquakes, and cyclones. Golly, Mr. Wizard, how do you do that? And John Edwards promising that the lame will rise up out of their wheelchairs if John Kerry is President. And all the little children will have health care and free college for all, etc. Not the horror of the lies but what will the people do when they realize the depth of the deception?

Now to put it all away until tomorrow!

I'm at high orange-between flu and the elections, and the added anxiety of having a kid in Iraq kinda frays my nerves a bit too, even though its not really the same thing, it just adds to it.
Add to THAT, starting another new job, and buying a house-
I'm just a little TENSE these days. IMHO_ Its hard to seperate the personal life stressors from the external risk assessment, they just seem to blend together when it comes to stress level and vigilence. anybody else feel that way?

With the elections, the economy, the flu, and the bitterness I am seeing on this board and through out the media, I feel very very tense and fearful. To me, it seems like everything is coming down upon us all at once. I'm really afraid of what is about to happen.

No doubt we are in for a surprise of some type soon....although things seem quiet here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean...Pearl Harbor seems quiet enough and not seeing a lot of military planes in and out.....I try to keep an eye on the bags of rice in the stores to give me an idea about how concerned people here are...a big pile of rice in the stores is a good sign....I did see what appeared to be some extra guards at the Red Hill facility last evening but was back to normal today...

I did some Target practice yesterday. The store kind.

Not much has changed in my mind, prepped and ready.

While I am on edge with the elections coming, the economy not doing as well as they'd like us to think, gas prices edging ever upwards and depletion of oil.....I just realized while reading this thread that we went to Atlanta yesterday and never thought about a terrorist attack while there. Every trip since 9/11 I've always expected something to happen, but yesterday it never entered my mind. We spent the day at Stone Mountain having a wonderful time and then went to the Varsity for supper - always an experience.

I don't think there will be a terrorist attack before the election. The results of an attack would be very difficult to predict, and who *knows* who the terrorists want elected anyway?

I'm a bit concerned because the election is bound to be such a circus. Also, the possibility of Kerry winning concerns me quite a bit. Regardless of what I see as his inadequacies in running the war on terror, I'm worried about the change of parties causing total chaos in our government as the cabinet turnover is bound to be very disruptive.

Did something really stupid yesterday.

DW and I went to the TX State Fair with some friends.

Yeah - I know - not smart idea.

Call it a recon mission.
Call it a reality check.

Had to be screened with a metal detector wand and open all bags, backpacks, etc for a visual inspection of the contents before entering the fairgrounds.

Fair was filled with massive numbers of sheeple ... at one point, I spoke with a Dallas police officer onsite - found out that they were having to deal with an average of 10 gangfights per day on the fairgrounds.


Not one single exhibit or vendor on prepardness.
Midway booths filled with worthless Chinese junk.
Almost all of the vendors were peddling very expensive junk designed to fill one 'need' - meeting the demand for mass-consumer products.

About the only booth I came across that was of any value came from staff members of the Dallas VA Medical Center at their booth where I found out that they are in the process of expanding services in the D/FW metroplex and surrounding counties. Several new clinics are being built and additional services are being added.


I did experience several interesting personal encounters brought on by my cap that has a combat veteran patch on it.

Several times during the day I had someone work their way through the crowd to come over to thank me for my military service. One guy in particular stands our. He had to push through a massive crowd to get to where we were standing ... asked me if I was a 'Nam vet like him. Told him "No, Grenada." He got this funny look on his face and asked me what unit I was in. As soon as I told him tears started rolling, grabbed my hand and started shaking it up and down chanting "Thank you, thank you." Turned out another squad from my unit had saved his baby brother's life in another part of Grenada on the same day my squad got hit by the mortar barrage.

I also got to meet Buck Taylor who played deputy Newly O-Brien on Gunsmoke and who is now an well-respected western artist. Buck is a 'Nam vet and we spent half an hour talking about how perceptions have changed among the general public regarding past and present members of the military.

As if to verify just how bad it has gotten, the conversation was punctuated at one point with twenty-something guy who was browsing through Buck's artwork. Guy walks over to where we were standing and pronounced that we were a bunch of barbarians ... oughta be in prison for murder and crimes against humanity. Then marched off with a look of smug self-righteousness on his face. Buck verbalized both of our thoughts with the comment 'A**hole' to the guy's retreating back. Two active Army personnel in uniform witnessed the scene and walked over. Both came to attention, saluted both Buck and I, thanking us for our service to our country .... then they too walked off into the crowd before either Buck or I could respond.

Area around Buck's art booth quickly emptied of younger people, but just as quickly filled with older people. Many voices of "thank you brother" and handshakes were being exchanged between a growing number of vets from many conflicts finding a place of mutual camaraderie in a sea of indifference and even antagonism ...

Buck and I exchanged our own thank you, made our glad to have met you's and DW and I moved on.

All in all, an interesting day.

ThunderLight

thunderlight,

I'm not a vet.

You didn't save my baby brother.

Thank you for your service anyway. I will vote on Election Day, if for no other reason than you and your band of brothers have bled and died for my right to do so. I'm 45, don't know if that makes me old, young or just what in your book. You make me proud.

Trivium Pursuit.

am on high alert

to many DOT's

Good response rate this time ... at this point, 200 votes in. And we're seemingly going to set a new anxiety high ... 1.96 at the moment.

bump