Survival camps cater to new fear: America's political unrest

[webfact]

Survival camps cater to new fear: America's political unrest

By Andrew Hay

 

Drew Miller carries an assault riffle at a survival camp in central Colorado, U.S., December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Adria Malcolm

 

FORTITUDE RANCH, Colo. (Reuters) - Aiming an AR-15 rifle across a Colorado valley dotted with antelope and cattle, Drew Miller explains how members of his new survival ranch would ride out an apocalypse.

 

The former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer said his latest Fortitude Ranch community, under construction below mountain forests, will shelter Americans fleeing anything from a bioengineered pandemic to an attack on the electricity grid.

 

For an annual fee of around $1,000, members can vacation at the camps in good times, and use them as a refuge during a societal collapse.

 

"If you've got a lot of weapons, if you've got a lot of members at guard posts, defensive walls, we don't think we're going to need to fight," said Miller, crouching on top of a fortified position on the camp perimeter.

 

The expansion of Miller's camp chain underscores the growing mainstream appeal of the "prepper" movement long associated with anti-government survivalists.

 

In recent years prepping has overlapped with millennial interests in renewable energy, homesteading, minimalist living and concerns about climate change.

 

Then there is politics.

 

Increasingly, Miller said, clients fear sharp political divisions will deepen around the Nov. 3, 2020 U.S. presidential election.

 

"There is growing concern that after the 2020 election there could be massive, long-lasting civil unrest if people say, 'Hey, I don't buy the new president, I don't recognize him or her,'" said Miller, who has added "civil war" to his risk scenarios.

 

A new solar-powered survival camp in Colorado is catering to middle-class Americans in cities and the suburbs, who are worried about everything from growing political divisions to an environmental 'armageddon'. Roger Fortuna has more.

 

Skeptics said Fortitude Ranch was preparing for catastrophic events that were unlikely and possibly not worth surviving.

 

There is a rational level of readiness for natural disasters or power outages, said New York University Professor Robyn Gershon, and then there is "hyper-extreme" preparedness.

 

She predicted a bad ending for anyone holing up in a compound with strangers to make it through a global pandemic or nuclear war.

"The quality of life will be degraded to a point where, for modern-day people, it probably won't be worth living," said Gershon, a clinical professor of epidemiology.

 

AR-15 OR SHOTGUN?

The solar-powered camps cater to middle-class Americans worried about their vulnerability in cities and suburbs. Unlike traditional survivalists, many are not schooled in off-the-grid living, and some have no idea how to hunt. Besides the annual fee, the main requirement for members is an AR-15 style rifle or pump-action shotgun for defense.

 

The camps stock about three months of food and have goats and chickens. In a collapse situation, members would follow orders from camp leaders like Miller. Tasks would include collecting firewood and nuts, killing game and growing vegetables. Everyone would do guard duty.

 

Miller expects marauding gangs to pour out of cities if law and order breaks down. He expects his ranches to have superior firepower. The new Colorado camp has a .50 caliber rifle to take on armored vehicles.

 

Anthropology professor Chad Huddleston said such fears sounded like “apocalyptic fiction.”

 

"The research around the world shows that communities come together first, before anything else," said Huddleston of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, citing studies on the aftermath of disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

 

Fortitude Ranch has around 175 members from all ethnic groups, many with business or military backgrounds, and most distrust the government, said Miller. He asked that exact locations of camps not be disclosed.

 

If he can find investors, Miller hopes to expand communities from two existing locations in Colorado and one in West Virginia to 10 more states.

 

"A SPECIAL GROUP"

Members like health insurance professional Kiki Bandilla, 53, of Castle Rock, Colorado, worry about over-dependence on modern technology and see the ranches as survival insurance.

 

"We all need to have a certain level of preparedness," said Bandilla, who runs Denver's Self Reliance Expo showcasing everything from tiny homes to body armor. "I see it becoming a little bit more mainstream, because I believe what's happening in our government, on both the right and the left, is chaos."

 

Tom, a 52-year-old who runs a Maryland housing business, fears a 2021 economic meltdown and wants a place to take his girlfriend and children.

 

"You're going to have a lot of people who are going to want to give up, but most of those people are not going to be at the ranch," he said, asking that his last name not be used.

 

Just how many Americans are prepping is hard to measure as most keep their activities secret. People within the industry, including Roman Zrazhevskiy, chief executive of Ready To Go Survival, said interest is growing.

 

Zrazhevskiy said sales of his survival-kit bags and gas masks have doubled or tripled on demand from "liberal preppers". "They're concerned about what Trump is doing," he said. "The whole civil war thing isn't that implausible."

 

Some within the movement say private survival communities may not be for everyone.

 

"It would be a challenge, I think, to throw a hundred people into a compound without really knowing each other," said Don Rodgers, who runs Rocky Mountain Readiness, which trains families in emergency preparedness and sells gear.

 

"It would take a special group and a special leader to hold that together."

 

Miller believes Fortitude Ranch is that group: "If you've got to be here, then it means it's really, really bad out there, so where are you going to go?"

 

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in Colorado; Editing by Richard Chang)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-24

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Samui Bodoh]

It is just sad.

 

The US used to be a place of optimism, but now has become a grievance-spewing, inward/backward looking area where differences are way more important that similarities; it is either 'My Tribe' or 'You are the enemy'.

 

Yes, a bit of an exaggeration on my part, but that is the trajectory.

 

Does any American even remember the words of JFK? 

 

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

 

How I wish that the US could return to that attitude and spirit...

 

The entire world would be a better place.

 

 

[spidermike007]

8 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is just sad.

 

The US used to be a place of optimism, but now has become a grievance-spewing, inward/backward looking area where differences are way more important that similarities; it is either 'My Tribe' or 'You are the enemy'.

 

Yes, a bit of an exaggeration on my part, but that is the trajectory.

 

Does any American even remember the words of JFK? 

 

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

 

How I wish that the US could return to that attitude and spirit...

 

The entire world would be a better place.

 

 

That was a long time ago. America was already divided, but Trump has masterfully used his powers, to stoke hatred, division, and discord. And he has definitely diminished America greatly. That will all be over once he is ousted in November. And the planet will breath a huge sigh of relief. I do believe there is a chance of significant anarchy in America's future. The middle class has been decimated, and the lower class is hurting in a major way. Homelessness is exploding, as inflation is far more substantial than they want to admit, and housing is no longer affordable for many. The top 8% are loving it. And so are Trump's lobbyists and corporate cronies. He has never met a lobbyist he could say no to. Lock him up. 

[BritManToo]

Survival Camps, I view all precautions to protect pockets of civilisation from complete collapse after a catastrophic event as a good thing. I'm surprised terrorists haven't hit food or power distribution in the USA, it's almost as if they're really on our side.

Edited December 24, 2019 by BritManToo

[thasoss]

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

That was a long time ago. America was already divided, but Trump has masterfully used his powers, to stoke hatred, division, and discord. And he has definitely diminished America greatly. That will all be over once he is ousted in November. And the planet will breath a huge sigh of relief. I do believe there is a chance of significant anarchy in America's future. The middle class has been decimated, and the lower class is hurting in a major way. Homelessness is exploding, as inflation is far more substantial than they want to admit, and housing is no longer affordable for many. The top 8% are loving it. And so are Trump's lobbyists and corporate cronies. He has never met a lobbyist he could say no to. Lock him up. 

everything you say and attribute to trump was already happening,he is just a symptom not the cause

[Chomper Higgot]

What a sad way to choose to live, stoking your own fears and paying $1000 a year to join others doing likewise.

[neeray]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

The camps stock about three months of food and have goats and chickens. In a collapse situation, members would follow orders from camp leaders like Miller. Tasks would include collecting firewood and nuts, killing game and growing vegetables. Everyone would do guard duty.

No need to kill game, maybe no need to cook it either. If the apocalypse was nuclear, the game will already be cooked (well done) and as for the vegetables, fallout will make Roundup seem more like salad dressing.

 

 

[BritManToo]

Just now, neeray said:

No need to kill game, maybe no need to cook it either. If the apocalypse was nuclear, the game will already be cooked (well done) and as for the vegetables, fallout will make Roundup seem more like salad dressing.

 

Nuke war is a fear of the past.

More likely is asteroid strike, solar flare, disruption of food or power distribution, civil unrest, pandemic.

[neeray]

10 minutes ago, thasoss said:

everything you say and attribute to trump was already happening,he is just a symptom not the cause

I think he is more like the TURBO CHARGER than a "symptom".

[alex8912]

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What a sad way to choose to live, stoking your own fears and paying $1000 a year to join others doing likewise.

Some may say living on political forums Is a sad way to live. 

[ballpoint]

Let all the whackos sit in their walled compounds.  It saves the government from having to round them up when the time comes.

[Chomper Higgot]

14 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Some may say living on political forums Is a sad way to live. 

Which ‘political forum’ do you have in mind?

 

This is a news forum, there’s a clue in the title.

[Skallywag]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

She predicted a bad ending for anyone holing up in a compound with strangers to make it through a ........ nuclear war.

Making it through a nuclear war?  Where were these people schooled?

They have plenty of weapons, but those weapons are all useless against a drone strike or 2, let alone nuclear war.

Best to go underground. But as in the 60's, bomb shelters had no way to purify the air, so useless against nuclear war. 

I think some of these "survivalists" have watched too many episodes of "the walking dead"  

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Anthropology professor Chad Huddleston said such fears sounded like “apocalyptic fiction.”

I'm sure he would have said the chance of the "Black Death" was apocalyptic fiction too.

Now that humans have made bugs immune to antibiotics, the chances of another black death is high. Millions living in close proximity will spread the plague very quickly.

Look how fast measles became a problem in Samoa.

[bkk6060]

Many could care less about this.

The stock market is up about 50% under Trump.

Money is God in the US.

He will get re-elected I guarantee it.

Edited December 24, 2019 by bkk6060

[mogandave]

2 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Many could care less about this.

The stock market is up about 50% under Trump.

Money is God in the US.

He will get re-elected I guarantee it.

So where is it where people don’t like money? 
 

Is there any country where people generally don’t always want more money? 
 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

9 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Many could care less about this.

The stock market is up about 50% under Trump.

Money is God in the US.

He will get re-elected I guarantee it.

It's not just politics, if you read the OP.

I wish they had one in NZ as I'd be signing up for the staff like yesterday.

[mogandave]

This kind of thing looks a little nutty to me, but what’s the big deal? 
 

Basically a big campground where for $1,000 a year you can go hunt, perhaps fish and hang around with likeminded people. 

Back to work Monday morning. 
 

Someone implied it would save the type of government they support from having to round these types of people up. I imagine all the churches, synagogues and mosques will help him with that as well, 

 

[Lacessit]

I am wondering what were the roots of American paranoia. It's almost a mirror of the paranoia that existed in the USSR and East Germany, except the USA is purportedly a democracy. I can't think of any other democracy with such deep-seated insecurity.

What has happened to you, America?

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

They have plenty of weapons, but those weapons are all useless against a drone strike or 2, let alone nuclear war.

You think the ability to launch advanced weapons will survive an asteroid strike/solar flare?

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I am wondering what were the roots of American paranoia. It's almost a mirror of the paranoia that existed in the USSR and East Germany, except the USA is purportedly a democracy. I can't think of any other democracy with such deep-seated insecurity.

What has happened to you, America?

A country with such deep divisions between the coasts and the middle is going to fall apart eventually. A political system based on opposition rather than co operation makes the split worse.

Such a country needs a war to unite it, and there isn't a big enough one going on at present.

It's descending into tribalism, IMO, but the tribe with the guns and the ability to survive is not in the cities of the liberal coasts, IMO ( which explains the drive by liberals to take people's guns away- not for nothing did the founding fathers act to stop that, IMO ).

[Dumbastheycome]

41 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

Making it through a nuclear war?  Where were these people schooled?

They have plenty of weapons, but those weapons are all useless against a drone strike or 2, let alone nuclear war.

Best to go underground. But as in the 60's, bomb shelters had no way to purify the air, so useless against nuclear war. 

I think some of these "survivalists" have watched too many episodes of "the walking dead"  

This topic and  your response  remind  me of the  move "The Bunker".

[sfokevin]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Nuke war is a fear of the past.

More likely is asteroid strike, solar flare, disruption of food or power distribution, civil unrest, pandemic.

My bet is on a collapse of the marine or permafrost ecosystem... Or in the US the most frightening scenario is rising sea water forcing Floridians to relocate north!... 

Edited December 24, 2019 by sfokevin

[Matzzon]

Drew Miller should go back to looking his favorite movies and TV-series.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Matzzon

[Chazar]

2 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

It is just sad.

 

The US used to be a place of optimism, but now has become a grievance-spewing, inward/backward looking area where differences are way more important that similarities; it is either 'My Tribe' or 'You are the enemy'.

 

Yes, a bit of an exaggeration on my part, but that is the trajectory.

 

Does any American even remember the words of JFK? 

 

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

 

How I wish that the US could return to that attitude and spirit...

 

The entire world would be a better place.

 

 

always  struck me as  odd when  many moaned  like  hell about Trump who "won" rather  than accept and move  on ...moan bitch  moan bitch  moan............. get your chance again in 4  years

[brokenbone]

lotsa loonies on the loose these days

trespassing on anything that can be trespassed

 

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Survival Camps, I view all precautions to protect pockets of civilisation from complete collapse after a catastrophic event as a good thing. I'm surprised terrorists haven't hit food or power distribution in the USA, it's almost as if they're really on our side.

A total crash of the global power/information grid could destroy civilization. Most of the worlds urban population will die. Try 6 hours without the internet.

 

What will be left are third worlders, rural folks and those "urban" folks who are prepared.

 

When I lived in Alaska, I alswys had a 4x4 with extra fuel, winch, jack, rifle, ammo, pistol, food, stove, rope, tarps, water pump etc merely for the purpose of suriving after a major quake in the dead of winter. Thats not sad, its just like having the right tool for the job. Or having an emergency plan for your family.

 

Nowadays, Im too fat and old and take meds so if civilization collapses, Im probably a goner. But we still have a rural place, 4x4 and the rest. Maybe my genes will carry on.

 

Sometimes the media makes a normal planning event in a familys life

[bendejo]

The largest survivalist community in the US is the state of Idaho. ????

Take that with a bit of humor and exaggeration. 

 

This way of thinking in the US is not new, there are certain religious groups whose members keep a year's supply of food in each household. 

Turning the fear into $$$, hey, now you're talking!  For decades there have been entities selling gold coins so that when it hits fan you're not stuck with worthless scrip.  In the Cold War era there was the business of selling fallout shelters.

But we're now in a new era of fear, big time, and the word is civil war.  And the way people are falling for all the ____ coming out of the White House has some unscrupulous people licking their chops:

       They didn’t just elect America’s biggest con artist [...]. They rallied behind him with an absolutely rapturous fervor, long after everyone understood exactly what he is. They cheer every lie he tells them, repeat every bizarre argument he makes and treat him like a demigod walking amongst us. If these suckers aren’t asking to be separated from their money, who could be?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/23/million-suckers-just-waiting-be-conned/

 

 

 

[sfokevin]

26 minutes ago, Chazar said:

always  struck me as  odd when  many moaned  like  hell about Trump who "won" rather  than accept and move  on ...moan bitch  moan bitch  moan............. get your chance again in 4  years

Curious? Are any of these loonie conspiracy driven gun owners disgruntled Clinton voters?... 

[bendejo]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm surprised terrorists haven't hit food or power distribution in the USA, it's almost as if they're really on our side.

That's because, in their hearts, they want to live in the US, have sex with blue-eyed blondes, and have a snazzy car.  Maybe even get to be on a tv reality show.